Police Investigations of Intimate Partner Violence Involving Strangulation in British Columbia

Strangulation by an intimate partner is one of the most significant risk factors for future lethality. Often referred to by victims-survivors as “choking”, strangulation involves the external compression of airways and blood flow, for example by using hands (manual) or a belt or rope (ligature). Strangulation is a highly gendered form of intimate partner abuse, where more than 90% of the victims-survivors identify as females who were strangled by males (Brady et al., 2022; New Zealand Law Commission, 2016; Pritchard et al., 2018; Sharman et al., 2023; Strack et al., 2001; Thomas et al., 2014; Wilson et al., 2022). Research suggests that strangulation is more likely to be present in abusive relationships where the perpetrator engages in coercive control, makes threats towards the victim-survivor, displays signs of excessive jealousy, including stalking, isolates the victim-survivor from friends and family, and where the victim is fearful and more likely to believe their abuser will kill them (Bendlin & Sheridan, 2019; Messing et al., 2018b; Stansfield & Williams, 2018; Thomas et al., 2014). Strangulation is often a rage-filled overreaction to a perceived slight by a controlling and possessive abuser (Brady et al., 2022; Gwinn et al., 2022; Macgregor et al., 2016; Thomas et al., 2014).

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