Man jailed for strangulation and assault of woman

A man who strangled and assaulted a woman in her home has today been jailed for more than two years.

Steven Waters, 32, of Fareham, Portsmouth, attended the woman’s home address and had been drinking. Initially, everything was okay between the pair until Waters demeanour quickly changed.

Waters pulled the victim by her hair and grabbed her by the throat. He held her down with his hands on her neck until she could not breathe.

Waters did not stop until he heard a child present in the address on the phone to 999, ringing for help.

The handler heard the victim vomiting and gasping for breath.

Waters’ sentence comes as data released by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) shows a record number of charges of strangulation reaching courts since the standalone legislation was introduced three years ago.

In the last recorded three-month period, nearly 2,400 charges of strangulation or suffocation were prosecuted by the CPS.

9 in every 10 of these charges were linked to domestic abuse.

Patrick Schneider, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Steven Waters used strangulation to exert control and power over his victim. This was a shocking and violent domestic assault carried out in the presence of a child.

“The physical and emotional impact of Waters’ actions cannot be underestimated and this case is just one example of how, as prosecutors, we are now taking strangulation as seriously as it needs to be.

“Unfortunately, instances of strangulation or suffocation in a domestic setting are far from unusual, and I hope this conviction empowers other survivors to come forward and trust the Crown Prosecution Service to bring abusers to justice.”

Waters was also sentenced for damaging the victim’s phone, assaulting a police officer whilst he was being arrested and possessing a bladed article.