EXCLUSIVE: What could happen to Dylan after the Betsy strangulation storyline? The legal possibilities explained
Lisa's reported Dylan to the police
Lisa Swain has reported Dylan Wilson to the police for the strangulation of daughter Betsy Swain in Coronation Street.
Tonight (Thursday, July 16), Lisa vowed to make Dylan pay for what he’d done to her daughter. Even if Betsy begged her not to.
But, just how badly could Dylan be punished for strangling Betsy during sex? A legal expert has weighed in on what could happen next for the teen.
Lisa reported Dylan in Coronation Street
Over in Weatherfield tonight, Betsy struggled to come to terms with her new diagnosis. The impact of her two strokes on her body had left her with new conditions to manage.
She was told that aphasia and dysphagia meant that her speech, reading and writing would be a struggle, as well as experiencing a weakness on the right side of her body.
However, with physio and time, she should make a full recovery.
Struggling to process Betsy having multiple strokes at such a young age, Lisa headed home for some rest. But, she found herself publicly accusing Dylan of assaulting Betsy during sex instead.
Sean had no knowledge of Dylan’s strangulation of Betsy, soon telling his son that what he did was dangerous. And, it was not something that ‘everyone did,’ despite Dylan’s initial belief.
At the hospital, Lisa told Carla that she was going to report Dylan to the police. What Dylan did to Betsy wasn’t love. Betsy overheard this and begged Lisa not to report Dylan.
But, the worried mum wouldn’t listen. She marched over to the police station explaining that she’d like to report a crime.
Legal expert explains repercussions for Dylan Wilson
It appears that Dylan might be in more trouble than he thinks. Despite not thinking that the pressure applied to Betsy’s neck was hard, and telling Sean that the strangulation was consensual, the damage was enough to cause a stroke. And, Dylan could be looking at prison time for it.
Danielle Reece-Greenhalgh, partner at the criminal litigation firm, Corker Binning exclusively told Coronation Street Insider: “This is an extremely topical storyline for Coronation Street to be targeting. The offence under section 75A of the Serious Crime Act 2015 criminalises the intentional strangulation (pressure/compression round the neck or throat) or suffocation (restricting airflow by other means) of another person.
“Although questions of consent frequently arise in cases involving risky sexual activity, as in the case of Dylan and Betsy, the law consistently draws a line where actual bodily harm or more serious injury is inflicted. Even though both parties believed the pressure to be minimal, its intentional application combined with that act’s ability to impede breathing and the significant harm caused would be sufficient to fall foul of this offence.”
Dylan could be prosecuted for Betsy strangulation
Criminal defence lawyer Marcus Johnstone, Managing Director of PCD Solicitors also told us: “What the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 does is remove or limit a lot of the legal flexibility around injury and consent – if a person consents to choking but is injured, then the person who did it can still be prosecuted.”
While strangulation during sex is a crime, it is harder to prosecute unless medical attention was needed.
“Unless a person is injured enough to seek medical attention, or was strangled without their consent, then it is naturally very difficult for many of these cases to be detected, investigated and prosecuted. ”
But, as Betsy suffered multiple strokes as a result of the strangulation, Dylan can still be prosecuted.
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