Under new laws announced yesterday, judges will have to consider tougher jail terms for murderers who strangle their victims or whose action is connected to the end of a relationship.
The changes, expected to come into force next year, subject to parliamentary time, will implement two outstanding recommendations from Clare Wade KC's independent domestic homicide sentencing review.
Every year, about 85 people—overwhelmingly women—are killed by a current or ex-partner, and those crimes mostly take place in the home.
Wade's analysis of murder cases found that 30% involved strangulation and 40% happened at the end, or perceived end, of a relationship. In both scenarios, all the victims were women and all the killers were men.
Alex Davies-Jones, the minister for violence against women and girls, said: "The level of violence against women is a national crisis which this government is determined to tackle, and that includes ensuring the punishment fits the crime for the most abhorrent crimes.
This story is from the December 07, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the December 07, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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