Corby man Connor Vickers jailed under new non-fatal strangulation law

Connor Vickers, of Everest Lane, Corby has been jailed for 18 months

He was one of the first in the country to be charged with the offence

A man who throttled his girlfriend just a week after a new non-strangulation law came into force has been jailed.

Intentional non-fatal strangulation became a law in its own right on June 7 this year. On June 15, Connor Vickers attempted to strangle his partner in Corby. The 24-year-old appeared in court on August 17 to become one of the first people in the country to plead guilty to intentional strangulation.

Last Thursday (October 27) he appeared before Northampton Crown Court to be sentenced for the offence, as well as two assaults on the same woman that happened on August 8.

The court was told as the victim tried to leave a property, Vickers placed his hand around her neck and started to squeeze tightly, restricting her breathing, before kicking her.

Vickers, of Everest Lane, Corby, was given an 18-month jail term. No restraining order was made as the court was told he and his victim are currently on amicable terms.

A Northamptonshire Police spokeswoman said: “Tackling violence against women and girls is a matter of priority for Northamptonshire Police so we are pleased that Vickers has pleaded guilty to these offences.

“This is one of our first convictions for intentional strangulation, a piece of legislation that we welcomed when it was first introduced, and we will continue to pursue charges of this nature in future cases as appropriate.”

We Can’t Consent to This (WCCTT) and the Centre for Women’s Justice (CWJ) called for a free-standing offence of non-fatal strangulation or asphyxiation in late April 2020. The proposal for a new offence was supported by both the Domestic Abuse and Victims’ Commissioners and domestic abuse charities from England and Wales.

CWJ argued that strangulation was often reported by survivors of domestic abuse and that it was a measure used by an abuser to instil fear, power and control over their victim.

It came after concerns that perpetrators were avoiding punishment as the act can often leave no visible injury, making it harder to prosecute under existing offences.

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 amended the Serious Crime Act 2015 and introduced two new sections creating a new and specific criminal offence of non-fatal strangulation and suffocation.