Coercive control and the law: protection without physical violence

Reviewed 19 October 2026 · Information for England and Wales

A non-molestation order is available for coercive and controlling behaviour even if you've never been hit. The courts accept that control, intimidation and isolation can do as much damage as violence.

Recognising coercive control

Coercive control is a pattern of behaviour used to dominate someone, make them dependent and strip away their freedom. It usually creeps in gradually, which can make it hard to see from the inside. Warning signs include:

• Cutting you off from friends and family
• Watching you – checking your phone, tracking where you go, deciding who you see
• Controlling money – taking your wages, giving you an "allowance", running up debt in your name (economic abuse)
• Belittling you – humiliation, name-calling, constant criticism
• Rules and punishments about what you wear, eat or do
• Threats – to hurt you, the children, pets or themselves; to take the children; to report you to the authorities
• Gaslighting – making you doubt your memory or judgement
• Restricting access to medication, transport or the internet

Any single incident might seem minor. It is the pattern that counts.

What the law says

• It is a crime. Controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship is an offence under section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015, punishable by up to five years in prison. Since 2023 it also covers ex-partners who no longer live with you.
• It is domestic abuse. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 includes controlling or coercive behaviour, and economic abuse, in its legal definition.
• It is "molestation". The family courts treat harassment, pestering and intimidation as molestation – so a non-molestation order can stop it.

What an order can forbid

A non-molestation order can prevent the person from:

• contacting you, directly or via others
• harassing, threatening, pestering or intimidating you
• monitoring or tracking you
• coming to your home or workplace
• damaging or taking your things

If you live together, you can also ask for an occupation order to remove them – see getting an abuser out of the home.

Showing the court the pattern

Because coercive control is about a pattern, your witness statement is vital. Our questions are designed to help it show:

• how it began and how it escalated
• concrete examples, with approximate dates
• the impact on your work, finances, health, friendships and children
• the latest incident, and why you need protection now

Helpful supporting evidence includes:

• messages containing threats, demands or monitoring
• bank statements showing financial control
• notes from a GP, counsellor or support worker
• friends or family who have seen what's happening

More in the evidence you need – and remember, your own account is evidence.

The children

Children are harmed by coercive control even when it isn't aimed at them, and courts recognise this. Name them on the FL401 so the order protects them too.

What you can do today

1. Keep a private record somewhere the other person can't find it – an email account they don't know about, for example.
2. Talk to someone – the helpline, a local domestic abuse service or an IDVA.
3. Plan for safety, especially if you're thinking of leaving; that can be the most dangerous time.
4. Apply for an order. Begin your free application and we'll draft your FL401 and statement.