Choking, suffocation or strangulation in a domestic setting

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This report is part of the Sentencing Spotlight series. These publications present statistics on sentencing outcomes for offences finalised in Queensland courts. Our Sentencing Spotlight on choking, suffocation or strangulation in a domestic setting, defined under section 315A of the Criminal Code,provides insight into cases sentenced between July 2016 and June 2018.

Our research found:

• 287 offenders were sentenced on the new charge introduced in May 2016
• 482 charges were prosecuted in total
• 98.3% of offenders were male
• 21% of sentenced offenders were Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders
• the average age of offenders was 31.8 years
• 76% of offenders were imprisoned for the crime
• 99% of offenders pleaded guilty (if it was their most serious offence – MSO)
• the average sentence imposed was 1.9 years imprisonment
• 49% of these cases had also breached a domestic violence order.

Read the media release