Member

The offence of controlling or coercive behaviour by persons providing psychotherapy or counselling services proposed in our amendment seeks to introduce an offence closely modelled on Section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015. A statutory defence is proposed to protect from liability therapists who believe they are acting in their clients’ best interests and whose behaviour is reasonable, with the onus being on the prosecution to disprove that defence and to prove the contrary beyond reasonable doubt if the defence is raised and evidence is adduced to support it.