Restricted provocation law urged in NSW THE case of a husband who slashed his wife's throat with a box cutter has prompted a NSW parliamentary committee to recommend restrictions on the partial defence of provocation. Chamanjot Singh was sentenced to six years' jail in June last year after being found guilty of manslaughter, rather than murder, for killing his wife, Manpreet Kaur, at Westmead, in Sydney's west, in December 2009. Singh successfully argued he was provoked and lost control after his wife told him she was in love with someone else and threatened to have him deported to India, his country of origin. The parliamentary committee's inquiry last year heard concerns that the defence of partial provocation had been misused in the Singh case. But it also heard from lawyers that withdrawing the defence would remove protection for battered women who snapped and killed their violent male partners. The inquiry reported its findings on Tuesday, recommending the defence be kept but only in cases where a defendant had acted in response to gross provocation and justifiably felt seriously wronged. Long-term victims of domestic violence should still be able to use the defence, the inquiry found. The inquiry recommended amendments to the Crimes Act spelling out cases where the defence could not be used by defendants, including in response to the infidelity of a partner or a non-violent sexual advance. NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby convenor Justin Koonin welcomed the barring of the latter defence, saying it had only been invoked in cases involving male-to-male advances. "If adopted, this recommendation signals the end to a law that has ... effectively placed the lives of many gay and bisexual men in danger," he said in a statement. This provides assurance to members of our community that they are equal in the eyes of the law and removes excuses for barbarous acts committed in the name of so-called provocation. Labor's shadow attorney-general Paul Lynch said the recommendations maintained protections for vulnerable defendants, particularly women who were victims of long-term domestic violence. He urged the government to adopt the recommendations and prepare the necessary legislation.