The government today (14 February 2024) announced the introduction of a new statutory aggravating factor in sentencing for those who cause death through abusive, degrading or dangerous sexual behaviour – or so-called ‘rough sex’. This will close a sexist loophole in sentencing that has failed to recognise the gravity of extremely dangerous sexual practices which can never be freely consented to.
In November 2021, Centre for Women’s Justice (CWJ) together with campaign group ‘We Can’t Consent To This’ put forward evidence at the Court of Appeal hearing considering the desultory sentence of four years eight months handed down to Sam Pybus, who killed Sophie Moss by strangulation claiming she enjoyed it. The Court of Appeal declined to accept our evidence, or increase the sentence, holding that it fell squarely within the range of sentencing for this type of manslaughter offence.
Other recent sentences handed down to men who have caused the death of women through highly dangerous and degrading sexual practices include:
In 2018, John Broadhurst was sentenced to three years and eight months for the manslaughter of Natalie Connolly. She died from a haemorrhage after he inserted a bottle of carpet cleaner inside her. She was found to have 78 bruises and a fracture above her eye.
In 2018, Jason Gaskell was sentenced to six years for killing Laura Huteson by slitting her throat claiming the knife was used during sex as part of a sado-masochistic game.
In 2021, Martin Coulton was sentenced to six years imprisonment for killing his partner through asphyxiation after he gagged her and tied her hands behind her back.
Harriet Wistrich, Solicitor and Director of CWJ, stated;
“Cases of so called ‘rough sex gone wrong’ are highly gendered offences and the sentencing disparities we have seen fail to recognise the gravity of such killings. We hope this reform to homicide along with others under consideration will mark the start of an adjustment to the law so that male violence towards women is properly reflected in sentencing.”