BRADFORD MAN GETS SUSPENDED SENTENCE AFTER STRANGLING GIRLFRIEND OVER CLOTHES

A man named John Lowther, aged 28, was involved in an incident in August 2023 where he strangled his girlfriend following an argument over her outfit during a night out. The court heard that during the confrontation, Lowther put his hands around her neck and squeezed, which the victim described as enough to stop her from screaming but still allow her to breathe. Police reports revealed that the victim locked herself in the bathroom and called for help while Lowther demanded to know who she was texting. When she opened the bathroom door, Lowther slammed it into her face. Lowther admitted to the charges of strangulation and assault by beating but claimed to not remember the incident, blaming alcohol intoxication. He was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court to a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months. The judge warned that the pressure exerted during strangulation can be fatal, equating it to the pressure of opening a can of Coke, and emphasized that the same pressure can cause death by strangulation. In addition to his sentence, Lowther was given a two-year restraining order prohibiting contact with the victim, a curfew, and a nine-month alcohol treatment requirement. This case came amid a rise in strangulation offences, with research indicating over 39,000 recorded offences in 2023-2024. Rachel Williams, a domestic abuse survivor, highlighted the dangers of non-fatal strangulation and called for harsher sentences for perpetrators, stating that 'the violence is used to exert power and control over the victim.' Williams also noted that strangulation is a leading cause of stroke in women under 40 and criticized the leniency of sentences for such crimes.