Victim Support Service calls for tougher protections in new domestic violence laws to protect victims who are strangled by their dates

WOMEN in the early stages of dating are reporting being strangled by their boyfriends, prompting calls for the State Government to broaden proposed laws which would make strangulation a specific offence.

• Domestic violence offenders should pay for their rehab
• Domestic violence: Breaking the cycle
• Thousands seek protection from violent abusers in court
• Plea for election funding to protect women, kids in violence crisis

WOMEN in the early stages of dating are reporting being strangled by their boyfriends, prompting calls for the State Government to broaden proposed laws which would make strangulation a specific offence.

Attorney-General Vickie Chapman is expected to put laws to Parliament next month, which would create a new offence of non-fatal strangulation in an attempt to make it easier for police to prosecute cases where the victim does not die from the attack.

At present, strangulation is prosecuted as assault or attempted murder, but it can be difficult to prove that the abuser intended to kill.

Under the new offence, someone who chokes, strangles or suffocates their spouse, domestic partner, child, sibling or other family member would face a maximum of seven years in jail.

Victim Support Service chief executive Caroline Holmstrom said the definition of relationships covered by the legislation should be broadened from de facto to include “dating”.

“We see a number of clients who are in dating relationships who are experiencing violence and abuse,” Ms Holmstrom warned.

In a submission to public consultation on the Statutes Amendment (Domestic Violence) Bill, the VSS said it heard “frequent examples of victims in dating relationships who may not meet (its) definition”.

Deputy Premier Vickie Chapman will bring new domestic violence laws to State Parliament. Picture: AAP / Brenton Edwards

Creating an offence of non-fatal strangulation would likely make it easier to charge, prosecute and convict an offender than current laws, it said.

“We would argue that non-fatal strangulation is a serious wrong, regardless of the nature of the relationship. Research shows (strangulation) … is often a significant risk factor for future homicide.”

When announcing the proposed laws, Ms Chapman said the new offence reflected the reality that “hands are the weapon of choice” for many abusers.

More than 800 people have been charged with non-fatal strangulation in Queensland since new laws were introduced there in 2016.

The proposed SA Bill would also expand the definition of abuse to include locking a partner out of their home and allow footage captured by police officers’ body-worn cameras to be used as evidence in domestic violence trials.

The VSS recommends clarifying that victims of abuse who block their attacker from entering the family home should not be punished.

For help, phone 1800 RESPECT or 1800 VICTIM

Follow @Lauren__Dailey

Originally published as Victim Support Service calls for tougher protections in new domestic violence laws to protect victims who are strangled by their dates