Draft guideline for consultation only. Draft guidelines should not be taken into account when sentencing.
Where this applies it will reduce the culpability of the offender.
This factor may be of particular relevance where the offender has been the victim of domestic abuse, trafficking or modern slavery, but may also apply in other contexts.
Courts should be alert to factors that suggest that an offender may have been the subject of coercion, intimidation or exploitation which the offender may find difficult to articulate, and where appropriate ask for this to be addressed in a PSR.
This factor may indicate that the offender is vulnerable and would find it more difficult to cope with custody or to complete a community order.