Stalking victims are to be given more protection and perpetrators will face robust management under a raft of new measures unveiled by the Home Office.
For the first time, the Home Secretary will issue new ‘Right to Know’ statutory guidance to empower the police to release the identity of an online stalker at the earliest opportunity. This will set out the process for disclosure more clearly to the police and provide victims who are subject to this chilling crime with greater reassurance that they will be quickly told the identity of the individual threatening them online.
The guidance was inspired by the experience of broadcaster and activist Nicola Thorp. She was stalked and abused online in a terrifying ordeal lasting months by a man she did not know, who set up almost 30 social media accounts to send her a constant stream of violent misogynistic messages.
Former Coronation Street actress and Talk TV host Nicola has been working with the government to give victims the right to know who their online stalkers are after police said they could not reveal the identity of the offender even after he was arrested, despite the perpetrator once saying he had got so close to Nicola on a train, he “could smell” her.
The man, who called himself The Grim Reaper in some of his messages to Nicola, is currently serving a 30-month prison sentence with a lifetime restraining order handed down after his appearance in court – the first time Nicola learned his true identity.
In further measures to tackle stalking, victims will also be given more protection from offenders by making Stalking Protection Orders more widely available – these orders can ban stalkers from going within a certain distance of their victims or contacting them, and can also compel them to attend a perpetrator programme to address the root causes of their behaviour.
Currently, Stalking Protection Orders can only be made by the courts if the police apply for them. Under new measures, courts will be given the power to impose Stalking Protection Orders directly at conviction – or even on acquittal if there is enough evidence to suggest that they are still a risk to the victim. This will help stop, for example, offenders from contacting their victims from prison. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:
“Stalking is a horrendous crime. For far too long, victims of stalking have been subject to debilitating and vicious abuse at the hands of stalkers who use any means necessary to monitor and control their victims’ lives.
Let us be clear – we will use every tool available to us to give more power to victims and take it away from the hands of their abusers. This starts with empowering police to give women the right to know the identity of their online stalkers, strengthening stalking protection orders and ensuring that the police work with all support services to give victims the protection they deserve.
Today’s measures are an important part of our cross government mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.”
Isabelle Younane, Head of External Affairs at Women’s Aid, said that stalking is a “prevalent issue” for survivors of domestic abuse, especially in the post-separation period. She continued:
“…as we know perpetrators weaponise this behaviour in an attempt to regain the control they have lost. Women’s Aid welcomes the announcement to strengthen protection for those who have experienced stalking and are especially pleased that new ‘Right to Know’ statutory guidance will be issued.
In our statement last week, responding to the piloting of Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs), we shared our concerns around protective orders. While, in theory, orders serve to safeguard and protect survivors, inconsistencies to awareness, monitoring, and responding to breaches, means that they can be ineffective. Changes to the Stalking Protection Orders will only result in positive change if these underlying issues are addressed, and police forces and other agencies consistently understand and implement these orders, including meaningful consequences for those who breach them.It is important to recognise that many of those who experience stalking will not report to the police or seek a criminal response. This may be because they do not feel comfortable doing so, due to fear, or lack of trust that they won’t be victim-blamed or re-traumatised. To ensure that those who do not report are given the support they need to heal from this violating experience, it is essential that specialist services are put on a secure financial footing in the upcoming multi-year spending review.”
In a further step, a review of the stalking legislation will determine whether the law could be changed to support police to better identify stalking and arrest offenders.
