Moved by
Baroness Newlove
137: After Clause 65, insert the following new Clause—
“Offence of non-fatal strangulation or suffocation
(1) A person (“A”) commits an offence if that person intentionally strangles or suffocates another person (“B”), where the strangulation or suffocation does not result in B’s death.
(2) A strangles or suffocates B if A impedes B’s breathing, blood circulation, or both, by doing any of the following (manually or using any aid)—
(a) blocking B’s nose, mouth, or both; or
(b) applying pressure on, or to, B’s throat, neck, chest or more than one of these.
(3) A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable—
(a) on summary conviction—
(i) to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months (or six months, if the offence was committed before the coming into force of paragraph 24(2) of Schedule 22 to the Sentencing Act 2020), or
(ii) to a fine, or both;
(b) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years, or to a fine, or both.”