Section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 made Controlling or Coercive Behaviour in an Intimate or Family Relationship an offence.
Coercive or controlling behaviour in an intimate or family relationship includes:
- Threats - including threats of violence - to the victim, children, other family members
- Harming or making threats to harm pets
- Insisting on accompanying the victim everywhere
- Listening to telephone calls, conversations
- Making the victim stay at home, not letting them socialise or work
- Making the victim do things they don't want to do - such as taking drugs, stealing, sexual acts
- Using 'spy ware' to monitor the victim via technology such as mobile phone usage and location, car location, cameras - this is also called 'tech abuse'
These are just examples, there are lots more in the column opposite.
Controlling and coercive behaviour causes someone to fear that violence will be used against them or causes them serious alarm or distress which has a substantial adverse effect on their usual day-to-day activities.
The maximum penalty is five years imprisonment.
Women's Aid have a useful guide on recognising domestic abuse in all its forms
Jennifer Perry from the Digital Trust has provided the document below that identifies coercive control behaviours
- Isolating a person from their friends and family
- Depriving them of their basic needs
- Monitoring their time
- Monitoring a person via online communication tools or using spyware
- Taking control over aspects of their everyday life, such as where they can go, who they can see, what to wear and when they can sleep
- Depriving them access to support services, such as specialist support or medical services
- Repeatedly putting them down such as telling them they are worthless
- Enforcing rules and activity which humiliate, degrade or dehumanise the victim
- Forcing the victim to take part in criminal activity such as shoplifting, neglect or abuse of children to encourage self-blame and prevent disclosure to authorities
- Financial abuse including control of finances, such as only allowing a person a punitive allowance
- Control ability to go to school or place of study
- Taking wages, benefits or allowances
- Threats to hurt or kill
- Threats to harm a child
- Threats to reveal or publish private information (e.g. threatening to 'out' someone)
- Threats to hurt or physically harming a family pet
- Assault
- Criminal damage (such as destruction of household goods)
- Preventing a person from having access to transport or from working
- Preventing a person from being able to attend school, college or University
- Family 'dishonour'
- Reputational damage
- Disclosure of sexual orientation
- Disclosure of HIV status or other medical condition without consent
- Limiting access to family, friends and finances