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Ten years after coercive control became a criminal offence, charges for this hidden form of domestic abuse continue to rise – signalling a decade of real progress in recognising psychological harm and holding perpetrators to account.

This milestone reflects how far the criminal justice system has come since the Serious Crime Act 2015 closed a critical gap in the law. By criminalising patterns of controlling or coercive behaviour, the legislation recognised that abuse is not always physical – and that emotional and psychological harm can be just as devastating.

Over the past decade, the CPS has strengthened its approach with updated guidance, victim-centred strategies, and closer partnership working with police and support services.  

We have seen year-on-year increases in charges and stronger prosecutions that put victims’ safety and justice first. Last year alone, almost 5,000 coercive control offences were charged*.

‘We want victims to know they will be heard’

Kate Brown, CPS Domestic Abuse lead and Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Wessex, said: “Criminalising controlling or coercive behaviour was a landmark step that transformed how we tackle domestic abuse.  

“Over the past decade, our understanding of this offence has deepened across the criminal justice system and wider society, driving stronger prosecutions that better reflect the destructive nature of these abusive behaviours.

“We know there is always more work to do to protect victims, hold perpetrators to account, and ensure justice. We want anyone trapped in an abusive relationship to come forward, knowing they will be listened to and supported.”

How the CPS is driving change

Since 2015, the CPS has:

• Updated prosecution guidance to reflect evolving abuse tactics like “love-bombing” and “gaslighting”.
• Encouraged victim-centred, suspect-focused prosecutions that do not rely solely on victim testimony.
• Sought protective orders and special measures in court to safeguard survivors.
• Worked in partnership with police, support organisations, and Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs).
• Launched a Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan with police – a national commitment to improve investigations and prosecutions by focusing on behaviour-driven offending and building stronger cases from the outset.

Solicitor General Ellie Reeves MP said: “Coercive control traps victims in invisible prisons – isolated from loved ones, stripped of independence, made to feel worthless.  

“Ten years on from this landmark change in the law, the steady rise in charges shows we are getting better at recognising and prosecuting this devastating form of abuse.  

“The work of the CPS and police to transform how these cases are investigated and brought to court has been vital. But in my role as Solicitor General, I am clear we must keep going until every victim knows they will be believed and supported, and this government remains committed to halving violence against women and girls within a decade.”

Dame Nicole Jacobs, Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales, said: “Domestic abuse isn’t always physical. Perpetrators will use a range of tactics to control their victims – repeatedly threatening them, isolating them, monitoring them, or humiliating them to create fear and dependence.  

“It’s thanks to the tireless work of survivors and specialist services that these patterns of abusive behaviour were criminalised, rightly reflecting in law what so many people have experienced or are currently experiencing from their abusers.

“A decade on from the law changing, we must continue working together to improve victims’ experience in our criminal justice system so we can build back their confidence and bring more perpetrators to justice.”

Survivors speak out

Two survivors have shared their experiences of coercive control to raise awareness of this devastating form of domestic abuse and its impact on victims.

Many victims do not realise they are experiencing coercive control or understand how individual behaviours can form a pattern of abuse or offending.  

What may seem like ‘small things’ - telling someone how to dress, checking their phone, making them feel guilty for seeing family and friends, or influencing financial decisions - can add up to an illegal pattern of behaviour.

Sophia’s story

*Sophia was young and going through a difficult time in her life when she met *Luke.

“At first, he seemed so supportive, sending lots of texts every day and offering comfort,” she says. But what felt like kindness quickly turned into “relentless” control and, eventually, sexual abuse.

“He cut me off from my family – I barely saw them the whole time I was with him and that has had such a long-lasting impact on our relationship,” Sophia explains.  

“He didn’t like me speaking to male friends I’d known for years. Because he’d been so supportive, I felt guilty, like I’d done something wrong.”

He increasingly dictated how she looked, mocked her in front of his friends, yet stayed charming in public. “People just saw the front he put on,” says Sophia. “That made it really difficult to confide in others.”

Then came the tracking. “He started turning up in random places,” she says. “When I tried to leave the relationship, he threatened suicide.

“It was relentless. It turned from love-bombing to constantly having to do things for his approval.”

The impact of Luke’s offending is still felt by Sophia. “Before I met him, I was strong and independent, but by the end I was completely drained,” she says.  

“I moved far away and even now, with him locked away, I don’t feel safe – I check over my shoulder constantly. I still suffer panic attacks in the middle of the night.”

For a long time, Sophia thought she was being “overly dramatic” or “perceiving things wrong”. It was only after reporting the abuse to police and seeing the list of charges against Luke that she truly realised what had happened to her was a serious crime.

“My advice to anyone going through this is to trust your gut and stick with the process,” she says. “People will listen. It’s the first step to rebuilding trust – and yourself.”

Maggie’s story

“When I first met Luke, it was very love-bombing at first,” says *Maggie, but within months the relationship changed.

“He started going through my phone, checking who I was messaging, blocking my friends, telling me who I could speak to and what I could wear,” she explains. “It was constant control.

“I think, because he’d been so nice, at first I thought he was just looking out for me. Coercive control didn’t even cross my mind – I didn’t know this could be a crime.”

What began as subtle restrictions spiralled into physical abuse and sexual assault. As Maggie became more withdrawn, people began to realise something was wrong.

“He could be very sneaky about hiding it from others. He would say and do things out of earshot,” she says.

“But people around me started to notice I wasn’t myself anymore – I was becoming really shy and didn’t go out as much.  

“He stole a lot of my confidence. I lost my spark and my drive for everything. I was just drained.”

Maggie contacted police after a violent altercation and that’s when she slowly began to realise what had happened to her was coercive control.

“The long-term impact has been huge,” she says. “I’m still working through the trauma – regaining confidence and learning to trust my instincts again is hard.  

“I struggle with guilt for putting my family through this. But the prosecution helped me start to heal.”

She adds: “If I could give advice, I would say trust your gut. If something feels wrong, don’t ignore it. You’re not overreacting and you deserve to feel safe.”

These cases are examples of how the CPS prosecutes and handles cases of coercive control carefully and robustly.  

The victims were supported in court through special measures to reduce trauma during the justice process and help them give evidence at the trial. They were able to appear behind screens, so they did not have to see the defendant, and video-recorded interviews were used as their evidence in chief.

The CPS remains committed to working with criminal justice partners to deliver justice for victims of all forms of domestic abuse, ensuring perpetrators are held accountable and survivors supported. 

Notes to editors

• *CPS performance management data shows a year-on-year increase in the number of controlling or coercive behaviour offences which were charged and reached a first hearing a magistrates’ court, dating back to when it became a criminal offence on 29 December 2015. The latest CPS data up to the end of June 2025 shows:
  
  -198 charges in 2016
  -798 charges in 2017
  -1,165 charges in 2018
  -1,170 charges in 2019  
  -1,347 charges in 2020
  -1,758 charges in 2021
  -2,424 charges in 2022
  -3,729 charges in 2023
  -4,955 charges in 2024
  -3,149 charges Jan-June 2025
• **Identifying information in this case has been removed to protect victim anonymity. Media should be aware of jigsaw identification with other titles and with the CPS.
• The perpetrator was convicted of controlling or coercive behaviour and a range of other offences including rape and given a jail sentence.  
• For further information, contact chiara.giordano@cps.gov.uk