April 13, 2023
Joint Head of Chambers Gillian Jones KC and Felicia Davy with Professor Susan Edwards ( Professor Emerita of Law at the University of Buckingham and RLC Door Tenant) have been featured in The Times newspaper “Letters to the Editor” section ( 6 April, 2023)
Writing in response to an article written on March 30 by Nogar Ofer (The Centre for Women’s Justice) entitled “Even judges don’t always understand the offence of non-fatal strangulation”, the trio respond with their own comments in “Choking is Abuse”. They comment:
“…according to Home Office data, of all female victims who were killed in England and Wales, approximately 29 per cent were killed as a result of strangulation or suffocation. In reality the figure is likely to be far higher as in some cases the cause of death was recorded as unknown. Women are less likely to use this method against male partners because it requires considerable body force and there are only one or two such cases. Research on non-fatal strangulation (now an offence in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021) demonstrates its prevalence as a form of abuse and control in intimate partner violence… Police and prosecutorial intervention at early stages can make a significant impact on saving lives.”
Concern with non-fatal strangulation follows the publication of “Blackstone’s Guide to the Domestic Abuse Act 2021” on March 23 which offers an expert analysis of the scope, extent and effect of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, including commentary on the non-fatal strangulation provision.
The book is divided into four parts with Professor Susan Edwards (Co-Editor and contributor) introducing Part 1 with a snapshot of The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and also a detailed consideration of the context and background. Gillian Jones KC (Co-Editor and contributor) writes on “Special Measures for Victims and Witnesses” and “Powers to Make Other Orders in Court Proceedings Under This Part with Felicia Davy co-authoring a chapter on “Offences Involving Abusive Or Violent Behaviour (s. 70- 71)”.
The book is co-edited with David Malone (Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS London South and former member of RLC) who also contributes. It is available to buy now and is published by Oxford University Press. For more information please see: [Oxford University Press]
Read “Letter to the Editor” here ( behind paywall) : [The Times]