Member

That means that if someone breaches a domestic violence protection order, which is a civil breach rather than a criminal offence, and, let us say, assaults their partner, the presumption would not apply and judges would retain full discretion to impose a short, immediate prison sentence. We are also introducing a new judicial finding of domestic abuse at sentencing, so that it would provide a flag on the system and these offenders are better identified and monitored through the system. For all these reasons, I invite the noble Baroness to withdraw her amendment.