What is coercive control? The law in the UK and where to get help

Posted on by Safety App UK team

Coercive control is a pattern of behaviour someone uses to dominate, frighten or isolate a partner, ex-partner or family member, such as checking your phone, controlling your money or cutting you off from friends. In England and Wales it is a crime under section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015, with up to five years in prison, and since April 2023 it also covers exes and relatives you don’t live with. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own, wider domestic abuse offences. Free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day.

Updated 7 October 2026 · Sources: Serious Crime Act 2015 (legislation.gov.uk), Home Office statutory guidance, CPS, Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018, Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (Northern Ireland) 2021, national helplines · Next review: January 2027

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If you or a child are at risk right now, call 999. If you can’t speak, stay on the line and follow the operator’s instructions; on a mobile, press 55 when asked (see how a silent 999 call works). Quick exit: if someone checks your phone or browser, read this on a safe device or in a private window, and clear your browsing history afterwards. The National Domestic Abuse Helpline (0808 2000 247, 24 hours) and Refuge Tech Safety explain how to keep your devices safe.

What is coercive control?

Coercive control is an ongoing pattern of acts used to make someone dependent, frightened or under another person’s control. It can include isolating you from support, watching what you do, controlling money, threats, humiliation and intimidation. Each act can look small on its own. Together they take away your freedom and confidence, often without any physical violence.

What are the signs of coercive control?

The Home Office statutory guidance and the CPS list many examples. These are the most common patterns. You don’t have to recognise all of them for it to be abuse.

Isolating you

Cutting you off from friends, family, work or study, or making it hard or tiring to see anyone.

Monitoring you

Checking your phone, messages or accounts, tracking your location or wanting to know where you are all the time.

Controlling money

Giving you an allowance, taking your wages, stopping you from working or building up debt in your name.

Rules and put-downs

Rules about what you wear, eat or where you go, with constant criticism, humiliation or name-calling.

Threats

Threats to hurt you, your children or pets, to share private information about you, or to take the children.

Intimidation

Breaking your things, frightening looks or outbursts, or leaving you scared of what happens if you “get it wrong”.

If the person also follows you, turns up where you are or contacts you again and again after you split up, read what to do if someone is stalking you.

Is coercive control a crime in the UK?

Yes, in all four nations, under different laws. In England and Wales it is the offence of controlling or coercive behaviour in section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015, with up to five years in prison. Scotland and Northern Ireland have broader domestic abuse offences that cover a course of abusive behaviour, with up to 14 years.

What does the law in England and Wales have to prove?

Section 76 has four parts. The police and the Crown Prosecution Service look at the whole pattern of the relationship, not just one incident.

The maximum sentence is five years in prison, a fine or both. The offence does not apply to a parent’s behaviour towards their own child under 16; other child protection laws cover that.

What should I do if I’m experiencing coercive control?

There is no single right order, and you don’t have to be sure it is abuse before you ask for help. These steps are the ones helplines and the police most often suggest.

1. Talk to someone safe

Call a domestic abuse helpline (free, confidential, 24 hours in every nation), or tell a friend, GP or someone you trust. You can talk it through without making any decision.

2. Make a safety plan

An adviser can help you plan: who you can call, a code word with a friend, where you could go, and keeping ID, bank cards and medicines somewhere you can grab them.

3. Keep a record, safely

Note dates, what happened and how it affected you. Save messages, call logs and bank statements somewhere the other person can’t reach, such as a trusted friend or a new email account.

4. Check your phone and accounts

From a safe device, check location sharing, linked accounts and passwords. Refuge Tech Safety has step-by-step guides. Changes can alert the other person, so plan them with an adviser.

5. Report it if and when you choose

Call 999 in danger. Otherwise call 101 or report online. Our guide to where to report a crime, linked below, lists every route.

6. Ask about protection

A court can order the person to stop, for example with a non-molestation order. Under Clare’s Law you can also ask the police about a partner’s past.

Next steps in detail: where to report a crime in the UK, how to apply for a non-molestation order and how Clare’s Law works.

Can I report coercive control to the police?

Yes. Call 999 if you are in danger now. Otherwise call 101 or report online: through police.uk in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or Police Scotland’s online form or 101 in Scotland. Police can act even if there has been no violence. You can also get support from a helpline without reporting. See 999 or 101?

Coercive control: myths and facts

Myth: It’s only abuse if they hit you.

Fact: Coercive control is a crime on its own. No physical violence is needed.

Myth: Once we split up, it can’t be coercive control.

Fact: Since 5 April 2023 the offence in England and Wales covers ex-partners and family members, whether or not you live together.

Myth: One bad argument counts as coercive control.

Fact: The offence is about a repeated or continuous pattern that has a serious effect, not a single row.

Myth: Only women can be victims.

Fact: Anyone can be affected, in any kind of relationship. The Men’s Advice Line supports male victims.

How is coercive control law different in Scotland and Northern Ireland?

Scotland and Northern Ireland do not use section 76. Each has a broader domestic abuse offence covering a course of behaviour that is abusive, including psychological abuse, with up to 14 years in prison. Scotland’s offence covers partners and ex-partners; Northern Ireland’s also covers family members.

▲ this guide · ▬ similar · ▼ different. Maximums are on conviction on indictment (the most serious cases).

Who can I call for help with coercive control?

These helplines are free and confidential, and you can call about your own situation or someone you’re worried about. Numbers checked on 7 October 2026. For every official number in one place, see which number should I call?

The free Bright Sky app and website from the charity Hestia also helps you spot the signs and find support. Only download it if it is safe for you to have it on your phone.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. In England and Wales the offence covers relatives, such as a parent, adult child, sibling or grandparent, as well as partners and exes. It does not cover a parent’s behaviour towards their own child under 16. Northern Ireland’s offence also covers family members; Scotland’s covers partners and ex-partners.

The CPS lists messages, emails and call logs, bank and financial records, photos of damage or injuries, 999 recordings, diary entries, location records, medical records and what friends or family saw. A simple dated log of what happened and how it affected you is a good start.

Often, yes. In England and Wales you can apply to the family court for a non-molestation order, which bans harassment and intimidation. In some areas a Domestic Abuse Protection Order is available. If someone is convicted, the criminal court can also make a restraining order.

Listen without judging, let them decide, and don’t confront the person you are worried about. Share a helpline number in a safe way; helplines also advise friends and family. Under Clare’s Law, you can ask the police about a partner’s history of abuse. If they are in danger now, call 999.

Sources

General information for the UK, not legal advice. Laws change: check GOV.UK or a solicitor for your situation. In an emergency, always call 999.

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