A recent case in Bournemouth Crown Court has once again ignited serious concerns about the justice system’s response to domestic abuse. Darryl John Cornish, a 41-year-old man from Upton, was sentenced to just 26 months in prison after subjecting a woman to a horrifying and sustained assault.
The facts are deeply disturbing. On 29 August 2024, Cornish strangled his victim, threw her to the ground, pushed her down a flight of stairs, and hurled her belongings across the home. The woman fled the property with injuries to her arms, hands, back, and neck — physical scars that are likely only a fraction of the trauma inflicted. Despite this, Cornish received just over two years in custody for charges of non-fatal strangulation and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Police described the attack as “sustained and violent”, acknowledging the lasting impact on the victim’s mental and physical wellbeing. Yet the sentence handed down hardly reflects the gravity of that description.
This is not simply a matter of punitive instinct. Sentencing is supposed to deliver justice — to acknowledge the severity of a crime, provide deterrence, and offer reassurance to victims and society. When a brutal, deliberate act of violence such as this results in little more than two years behind bars, it raises urgent questions about what message our courts are sending.
Are we telling survivors that their trauma is only worth 26 months of the perpetrator’s time? Remember he will probably be out in 13 months.
Are we signalling to abusers that violent control and physical harm — including acts as dangerous as strangulation — will be met with leniency?
And are we, in turn, eroding public confidence in our criminal justice system?
The government only recently introduced the offence of non-fatal strangulation in recognition of its high correlation with future homicide. Yet, the sentence in this case suggests the courts may not yet be treating it with the seriousness it warrants. The offence is not merely a prelude to worse violence — it is a lethal threat in its own right.
PC Harry Chaplin of Dorset Police rightly praised the victim’s courage and affirmed the Force’s commitment to tackling domestic abuse. But police efforts must be matched by robust sentencing if we are to meaningfully deter such violence.
No one is suggesting that incarceration alone can resolve the complex dynamics of domestic abuse. But accountability must be more than symbolic. Justice must feel real — not just for the victim in this case, but for the many others watching, weighing up whether it is worth coming forward.
The courts have a duty not only to punish but also to protect — and to send a clear, unambiguous message that domestic violence will be met with the full weight of the law.
In this case, that message feels dangerously diluted.
If you have been a victim of domestic abuse or you know someone who is being abused, please report it to Dorset Police, this can be done in confidence. If abuse is in progress and someone is in immediate danger, call 999. Otherwise, please contact us at www.dorset.police.uk or by calling 101.
Support services available for victims of domestic abuse include the following:
• National Domestic Abuse Helpline (24 hrs) 0808 2000 247
• Victim Support 0300 3030 163
• Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Domestic Abuse Referrals & Support Line: 01202 710 777
• Dorset (Paragon) 0800 032 5204
• Mankind Initiative 01823 334244
• National Men’s Advice Line (Respect) 0808 8010327
• Waterlily Project 01202 246763
• STARS 01202 308840
• Paladin (Stalking) 020 3866 4107
• The Shores 0800 970 9954
• NCDV for support with Non Molestation/Occupation/Prohibited Steps orders 0800 970 2070
