England and Wales strangulation reports rise 13% to 44,426

Police in England and Wales recorded 44,426 strangulation and suffocation offences in the year to June 2025, a 13% rise on the previous 12 months and a stark signal of how often a tactic linked to severe harm is surfacing in domestic abuse cases. The Institute for Addressing Strangulation says the figures show the offence is no longer a rare or isolated pattern, but one appearing across the country in ways that can precede worse violence.

More than four in five police forces recorded an increase over the year, which the institute says points to a national rise rather than a spike limited to a few areas. The offence was created under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and came into force on 7 June 2022, after years when prosecutors often had to rely on common assault charges that did not reflect the seriousness of the conduct. It carries a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment.

IFAS says the 44,426 recorded offences also represent an 87% rise compared with the first year the law was in force. But the group warns that inconsistent police recording and missing data still make it difficult to measure repeat victimisation and escalation with confidence, leaving gaps in the understanding of how often survivors are strangled more than once before a case intensifies.

The Crown Prosecution Service has seen charges rise sharply as well, from 1,483 in 2022-23 to 8,545 in 2024-25. In the first quarter of 2025-26, prosecutors recorded 2,656 charges, with about nine in 10 linked to domestic abuse. The CPS has described strangulation as a high-harm, high-risk offence and a warning sign of more serious violence, including murder.

That warning has become more visible in individual cases. Kerry Allan spoke publicly after Michael Cosgrove was sentenced to 20 years for attempted murder and strangulation, a case prosecutors used to underscore how quickly violence can escalate once strangulation enters a pattern of abuse. For survivors and advocates, the core concern is no longer whether the law exists, but whether sentencing, police recording and prosecutorial response match the scale of the danger. IFAS is pressing for more consistent recording, specialist training and stronger action from police and prosecutors as reports continue to climb.