People who psychologically bully their partners now face a jail sentence of up to five years, thanks to a change in the Serious Crime Bill.

The new law has made it a crime to act abusively, be controlling or coercive of your partner. This includes stopping your partner accessing bank accounts, refusing to pay money for child support, or limiting their means of escape by taking their passport or car keys.

Abused partners will also now have up to two years to report the crimes against them, rather than the six months that the law previously stated.
The change to the law, which will come into effect on the First of January 2016, comes in response to the shocking statistic that some eight women are killed by their partners or ex-partners every month in the UK.