The current Victims Commissioner Dame Vera Baird supports making a change. She says common assault doesn t reflect the magnitude of the offence while non-fatal strangulation was often used as a means of control and intimidation rather than an attempt at murder. It s not about intending to kill, it s about terrorising into submission, she said. This is a crime which has massive consequences, and is a hugely powerful weapon, but has no place in the current criminal lexicon.
Centre for Women s Justice lawyer Nogah Ofer told The Guardian that strangulation is undercharged. Although it’s a really terrifying and serious form of violence, there is often not a physical mark, or just a red mark - so police officers routinely treat it as common assault - the equivalent to a slap