In the early morning hours last Friday, the Weyburn Police Service responded to a call about an ongoing assault.  

“Unfortunately, a very bad domestic situation where a male was charged with some very serious offences, and he is held in custody to appear in court,” Sergeant Shane St. John said of the call. 

The 32-year-old man is facing a number of charges. They include assault, forcible confinement, mischief under $5,000 and choking to overcome resistance. 

“Domestic abuse in our province is very high, and across Canada, and with domestic abuse we find choking is a huge part of it,” Sgt. St. John added. “The Criminal Code, it was updated a few years ago to add that offence in. Instead of just the simple assault, there is another offence.” 

In 2019, the federal government added choking and strangulation as separate offence. Section 267 of the Criminal Code, addresses assault with a weapon or bodily harm. It was amended to factor in choking or strangulation. Those who are convicted could see up to 10 years in prison. Section 272, which deals with sexual assault, had a similar subsection added to it.