SA Police charge more than 300 people with new strangulation offence in six months
The offence of strangulation became law about six months ago — and since then, SA Police have charged an alarming number of people with strangling a partner or family member.
- Women reporting being strangled in early stages of dating
- SA Police lay more than one charge a day under strangulation laws
Strangulation is now such a common form of abuse that police are laying almost two charges of the “truly disturbing” crime each day.
New figures reveal 291 people have been charged with 341 counts of choking, strangling or suffocating a partner, child or other relative in just six months since new laws took effect.
The figure reveals the extent of the brutal act, which is a major warning sign in abusive relationships.
Until this year it was unclear how common the potentially deadly crime was because it was treated by police and the courts as assault or attempted murder.
A stand-alone offence took effect on January 31 and police laid the first charge the next day.
It is not known how many alleged perpetrators are men or women.
The new law imposes a maximum seven year jail term which Attorney-General Vickie Chapman said means authorities can now “treat with offence with the gravity it deserves”.
“The fact that we’ve seen almost 300 people charged with this offence is truly disturbing,” she said.
Women have told The Advertiser of terrifying experiences of strangulation, including Rhi who said her former partner began choking her just a few weeks into their relationship.
“It’s so much more common than you think,” said the mother-of-one, who did not give her surname for safety reasons.
“It started with him using his forearm against my neck. By the end he was strangling me with a cord or his hands multiple times a day.”
Rhi, in her mid-20s, hoped that revealing how many abusers were being charged with strangulation would “open more people up to seeing this for what is it”.
SA Police have said the charge “reflects the serious and dangerous nature” of the crime.
Women’s safety workers have long warned strangulation is rife in abusive relationships but have described the number of charges as “startling”.
Ms Chapman moved to change the law last year to acknowledge that“hands are the weapon of choice” for many domestic violence abusers and strangulation is “widely recognised a precursor” to murder in abusive relationships.
Previously strangulation was charged as assault, with a lower penalty, or attempted murder which carries a much higher penalty but is also a harder to prove because it requires the alleged offender to intend to kill.
Experts note that in many cases non-fatal strangulation is used by an abuser to scare or intimidate a victim into submission, rather than to kill them.
Although research shows it significantly increases a victim’s risk of being murdered later.
The new offence means more abusers are likely to face harsher punishment for a crime which has historically been difficult to successfully prosecute.
It is also now harder for alleged stranglers to get bail.
New South Wales, the ACT and Queensland also have specific choking, strangling or suffocation offences with penalties of five to 10 years in jail.
Western Australia is considering legislation.
The Tasmanian Coroner has urged the government there to follow suit after completing an inquest into the death of a woman who was choked to death by a man with a long history of strangling other women.
As the issue gains more attention nationally the Red Rose Foundation is partnering with the US-based Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention to launch an Australian Institute for Strangulation Prevention later this month.
It will advocate for consistent national legislation, a pool of experts who can give testimony in court, training for authorities and a strangulation trauma centre for victims.
Non-fatal strangulation does not always leave signs of injury but can kill victims months after the attack due to internal damage.
Consequences can include blood clots, collapsed arteries, brain damage or memory loss, vocal cord dysfunction, blurry vision and mental health effects.
For support phone 1800 RESPECT or the Domestic Violence Crisis Line on 1800 800 098.