🇬🇧 United Kingdom

• Specific offence introduced in 2021
• Maximum sentence: 5 years imprisonment
• Treated as high-risk violence even without visible injury
• Strong links to attempted homicide risk

One of Europe’s strongest legal responses.

---

🇩🇪 Germany

• Charged as:
  • Dangerous bodily harm, or
  • Attempted manslaughter
• Sentences: 1 – 15 years, depending on intent and injury

Courts increasingly treat strangulation as attempted killing.

---

🇫🇷 France

• Classified as aggravated violence
• 5 – 10 years imprisonment
• Up to 20 years if severe injury or death risk is proven

---

🇪🇸 Spain

• Treated as:
  • Serious assault, or
  • Attempted homicide
• Sentences: 3 – 15 years
• Domestic cases prosecuted under gender violence laws, with harsher penalties

---

🇮🇹 Italy

• Prosecuted as:
  • Severe personal injury, or
  • Attempted murder
• 3 – 12+ years, depending on severity and intent

---

🇳🇱 Netherlands

• Treated as:
  • Attempted manslaughter
• 4 – 12 years
• Strong forensic recognition of strangulation risk

---

🇸🇪 Sweden

• Charged as gross assault
• 2 – 10 years
• Domestic violence laws add sentencing aggravation

---

🇳🇴 Norway

• Prosecuted as:
  • Serious violent offence
• 3 – 15 years

---

⚖️ Key Legal Pattern Across Europe

Strangulation is now widely recognised as:

🟥 One of the strongest predictors of homicide risk

Which means:

• Even brief pressure = life-threatening assault
• Visible injury not required
• Intent to control or terrorise is legally significant
• Domestic strangulation is treated more severely than general assault

---

🚨 Why Sentences Are Increasing Across Europe

Neuroscience & forensic medicine confirm:

• Brain damage can occur within seconds
• Stroke risk remains days or weeks later
• Victims often show no external marks
• Prior strangulation increases future murder risk by 700–800%

This evidence has driven major legal reform across Europe.

---

🧠 Legal Summary

Classification	Typical Sentence Range
Serious assault	2 – 7 years
Aggravated assault	5 – 10 years
Attempted manslaughter	6 – 15 years
Attempted murder	10 – 25+ years

---