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Theresa May pledges to tighten the law on 'gaslighting' abuse

Theresa May has pledged to tighten the law on
Theresa May has pledged to tighten the law on

Theresa May says she will be looking to toughen the law on "gaslighting", a form of abuse on social media, after MPs raised the issue in an emotional moment in the Commons.

Natalie Lewis-Hoyle, the daughter of Lindsay Hoyle, the deputy speaker,  took her own life earlier this year, having been the victim of a "coercive" relationship.

Gaslighting is a type of domestic abuse and manipulation, in which the victim can be made to question their sanity and actions, increasingly online.

While it is already against the law, the cases are difficult to prosecute - which the Government says it will now try to address.

The term comes from the 1938 play Gaslight,  which featured a husband tormenting his wife and making her think she is losing her mind.

The inquest into Miss Lewis-Hoyle's death recorded an open verdict after ruling out both accident and suicide.

Natalie Lewis-Hoyle pictured with her grandfather Lord Hoyle
Natalie Lewis-Hoyle pictured with her grandfather Lord Hoyle

John Whittingdale, the former minister, spoke movingly of her death at Prime Minister's Questions, and asked the Prime Minister to support a website, Chat with Nat, set up by Natalie's mother to help other gaslighting victims.

The MP told the Commons: "At the end of last year, my constituent Natalie Lewis Hoyle, the daughter of Councillor Miriam Lewis and our right honorable friend the member for Chorley, took her own life having been in a coercive relationship and suffered mental abuse in what is known as gaslighting.

The Prime Minister offered the House's "deepest sympathies and condolences" to Sir Lindsay Hoyle and his family, and said the Government would be looking into the issue of gaslighting. It is understood the Home Office will now take on how to tackle it as part of its domestic abuse agenda.

Mrs May also added she is happy to lend her support to the website.

There have been 314 cases where people have charged with gaslighting under the Serious Crime Act 2015.

Mrs May said: "We are currently looking in our consultation on transforming the law on domestic abuse and violence [and] we are looking for ideas on how the offence can be further strengthened to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice."

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