Domestic abuse
An incident or pattern of incidents of abusive behaviour of one person towards another, where those people are aged 16 or over and are personally connected to each other. This is outlined in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.
Behaviour is abusive if it consists of:
- physical or sexual abuse;
- violent or threatening behaviour;
- controlling or coercive behaviour;
- economic abuse (has a substantial adverse effect on the victim’s ability to acquire, use or maintain money or other property, or obtain goods or services); or
- psychological, emotional or other abuse.
Persons are personally connected if they:
- are or have been married to each other or civil partners;
- engaged;
- are in an intimate personal relationship;
- are relatives; or
- have or once had a parental relationship in relation to the same child.