A wide-ranging bill introducing new standalone offences of stalking and non-fatal strangulation, increasing the maximum sentence for various offences and introducing new protections for victims has completed all stages in the Oireachtas.
The Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, which delivers on a number of commitments made in the government’s plan to tackle domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, has now been sent to the president for signature and enactment.
Among its provisions are increases in the maximum penalty for assault causing harm, one of the most commonly prosecuted violent offences, from five years’ imprisonment to 10 years’ imprisonment.