Over a year on from when we started this petition, and still the Manx community is being shocked and insulted by sentences that fail to reflect the seriousness of domestic abuse, and fail to understand the risk of attempted strangulation, or the aggravating risk factor when children are present.

Last week I attended the SUDTA.org First National Survivors Conference in Wales, where Laura Richards, who devised the DASH risk assessment and founded Paladin, commented that "Once the hands go on the neck, things never go back, the perpetrator never de-escalates." Yet on the Isle of Man, men who attempt to strangle, or partially strangle their partners get community service, and this despite the fact that at least one DA homicide on the Isle of Man was caused by hands on the throat.

A second draft Isle of Man Domestic Abuse Bill has been issued and is being re-drafted in the light of consultation comments. We are assured a Bill will be presented to Tynwald in October 2019, please keep signing this petition to draw attention to the need for this Isle of Man Bill to address strangulation as an aggravating factor or specific offence; to also name and define Coercive Control (and also recognise the high risk of this), and to address the presence of children as another aggravating factor. Current sentences are not getting it right. Mrs Hughes and others are failing to understand risk, protect victims, or send a strong enough message to abusers. Things have to change! Thank you.