You may be questioning whether what you are experiencing is coercive control, particularly if there has been no physical violence. Perhaps your partner controls the money, isolates you from people you trust, or makes you feel unable to take decisions without consequences. These behaviours can form part of a wider pattern which gradually limits your independence, confidence and choices. Recognising that pattern can be an important first step towards navigating divorce safely and with informed support.

What is coercive control?

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 recognises controlling or coercive behaviour as domestic abuse. In broad terms, controlling behaviour is designed to make someone subordinate or dependent; coercive behaviour is a continuing pattern of threats, humiliation, intimidation or other abuse used to harm, punish or frighten.

The criminal offence of controlling or coercive behaviour under section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 has its own requirements. The behaviour must be repeated or continuous, the parties must be personally connected, and the behaviour must have a “serious effect”, with the alleged perpetrator knowing, or ought to know, that it will do so. Following changes made by the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, the offence can apply after separation; the parties need not still live together.

Warning signs may include control over money, monitoring your communications or movements, isolating you from family and friends, repeated accusations, threats concerning the children, or using court proceedings and disclosure to continue the pressure post separation. No single checklist determines whether abuse has occurred: the court considers the overall pattern, context and impact.

What happened in LP v MP?

In LP v MP [2025] EWFC 473, Mr Justice Cusworth decided financial remedy proceedings after an unusual and extreme history. Earlier Children Act judgments had included findings that the wife subjected the husband to coercive and controlling behaviour, verbal and emotional abuse, and that their child suffered serious emotional harm. In the financial case, the judge found that the marriage had been founded on deception and fraud, and that the wife had taken control of the husband’s life through manipulation, untruths and abuse. The husband had become afraid of her and increasingly isolated.

Under section 25(2)(g) of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, conduct is relevant to a financial award only where it would be inequitable to disregard it. That is a deliberately high threshold: divorce is not generally a forum for punishing marital wrongdoing. In LP v MP, however, the judge treated the wife’s conduct, together with her lack of contribution, as sufficiently exceptional to justify reducing her share of the financial settlement.

The decision is significant, but it should not be read as meaning that every finding of coercive control will increase or reduce a financial award. The outcome depended on the unusual and extreme facts of this particular case.

What might this mean for your divorce?

For someone considering divorce, the practical message is that coercive control should be raised with their solicitor at an early stage, even if it may not ultimately change the division of the assets. It can affect the way financial disclosure is obtained, whether direct negotiation is safe and the protective arrangements required during proceedings. Early advice enables those issues to be built into the strategy from the outset rather than addressed only after further pressure or harm.

Coercive control can affect more than the final financial outcome. It may influence how safely negotiations can take place, whether direct mediation is appropriate, what protective measures are needed at court, and how arrangements for children are approached. If there is immediate risk, a non-molestation order or occupation order may be considered.

How JMW can help

At JMW, we understand that seeking advice can feel particularly difficult where a partner controls money, communications or access to support. We can arrange an initial confidential conversation and discuss any practical steps needed to communicate with you safely. We will help you understand your options and plan a route through separation that protects your position in relation to finances and children. Where necessary, we can also advise on urgent protective orders, interim financial support, and measures to help you participate safely in court proceedings.