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Domestic violenceVerified against official source
This range was checked against the official legal text. Last verified: 2026-10-19.
Statutory range
Coercive / controlling behaviour (SCA 2015 s.76) — summary
- Imprisonment
- 0 (no mandatory prison) – 12 months (general limit in a magistrates' court)
- Fine
- Unlimited fine
0 = the law sets no minimum prison term. The court is not required to impose prison. Depending on the offence, jurisdiction, and case, it may instead impose a non-custodial sentence — e.g. a suspended sentence, community order / probation, a fine, or a discharge.
Either-way. Applies where the parties are 'personally connected' (s.76(6)) and the behaviour has a 'serious effect' (s.76(4)).
Coercive / controlling behaviour (SCA 2015 s.76) — on indictment
- Imprisonment
- 0 (no mandatory prison) – 5 years
- Fine
- Unlimited fine
0 = the law sets no minimum prison term. The court is not required to impose prison. Depending on the offence, jurisdiction, and case, it may instead impose a non-custodial sentence — e.g. a suspended sentence, community order / probation, a fine, or a discharge.
Breach of a non-molestation order (FLA 1996 s.42A) — summary
- Imprisonment
- 0 (no mandatory prison) – 12 months (general limit in a magistrates' court)
- Fine
- Unlimited fine (statutory maximum)
0 = the law sets no minimum prison term. The court is not required to impose prison. Depending on the offence, jurisdiction, and case, it may instead impose a non-custodial sentence — e.g. a suspended sentence, community order / probation, a fine, or a discharge.
Either-way.
Breach of a non-molestation order (FLA 1996 s.42A) — on indictment
- Imprisonment
- 0 (no mandatory prison) – 5 years
- Fine
- Unlimited fine
0 = the law sets no minimum prison term. The court is not required to impose prison. Depending on the offence, jurisdiction, and case, it may instead impose a non-custodial sentence — e.g. a suspended sentence, community order / probation, a fine, or a discharge.
Putting a person in fear of violence (PHA 1997 s.4) — summary
- Imprisonment
- 0 (no mandatory prison) – 6 months
- Fine
- Unlimited fine (statutory maximum)
0 = the law sets no minimum prison term. The court is not required to impose prison. Depending on the offence, jurisdiction, and case, it may instead impose a non-custodial sentence — e.g. a suspended sentence, community order / probation, a fine, or a discharge.
Either-way; the 6-month summary cap is stated in the section itself.
Putting a person in fear of violence (PHA 1997 s.4) — on indictment
- Imprisonment
- 0 (no mandatory prison) – 10 years
- Fine
- Unlimited fine
0 = the law sets no minimum prison term. The court is not required to impose prison. Depending on the offence, jurisdiction, and case, it may instead impose a non-custodial sentence — e.g. a suspended sentence, community order / probation, a fine, or a discharge.
Domestic abuse is also prosecuted as common assault, ABH, GBH, rape and other underlying offences — see those entries for their maxima. Lower-level harassment (Protection from Harassment Act 1997 s.2) is summary-only; its penalty is not stated here because the section was not re-read in this pass. Protective-order breaches (restraining orders, Domestic Abuse Protection Orders) are separate offences with their own maxima; only non-molestation breach was re-read in this pass.