Stalking victims should have the right to know the identity of the perpetrator

Newly unveiled government proposals aim to provide stalking victims with improved protection from their perpetrators.

Other rights of those who have been stalked include learning the identity of the online stalker as quickly as possible, according to the Home Office.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper promised the government would use “every means available” to take power away from the perpetrators.

Around one in five women aged 16 and over in England and Wales have been a victim of stalking at least onceshow official figures.

The proposed legal guidance on the ‘Right to Information’ aims to ensure that police can reassure those being pursued that the identity of an online abuser will be disclosed to them at the earliest opportunity.

The government said it had worked with broadcaster and activist Nicola Thorp, whose stalker is serving a 30-month prison sentence, to develop the new protections.

Ms Thorp had been unable to find out the identity of her stalker until he appeared in court.

Stalking protection orders – which can ban suspected stalkers from contacting or staying within a certain distance of their victims – will also be made more widely available, the government said.

The changed approach will allow courts to make these orders after a conviction, even if they had not been made before a criminal trial. This represents a change to the current system where such an order must be made in advance.

The Interior Ministry said criminals will also be prevented from contacting their victims behind bars.

Even if an accused person is acquitted, courts can still impose protection orders against them if there is sufficient evidence that they still pose a danger to someone.

Cooper said the victims were “subjected to distressing and cruel abuse at the hands of stalkers” who “use any means necessary” to monitor and control their lives.

“Today’s actions are an important part of our cross-government mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade,” she added.

Other promised changes include:

• A review of stalking legislation to determine whether the law could be changed to better assist police in detecting stalking and arresting offenders
• Define stalking in legal guidance and establish a legal framework to support support services working together to ensure people are not left behind by the loss of important information
• The Home Office will publish new data on stalking offences
• The department will also set national standards for stalking offender programs to ensure consistency across England and Wales

The policy changes come after a comprehensive review – carried out by three police watchdogs – found this to be the case in September Victims of stalking are not adequately protected by police forces in England and Walesputting some at “serious risk.”

Protection Minister Jess Phillips said: “As a victim of stalking, I know how frightening it can be to be subjected to such controlling behaviour.”

She added that the proposals were “just the first step” and promised that the government “will do more to tackle this heinous crime that no one should have to experience.”

The independent victims’ commissioner for London, Claire Waxman, welcomed the changes, saying the criminal justice system had “struggled to take strong action against stalking” and had left “perpetrators undeterred and victims at risk” for too long.

Phillips told the BBC that knowing a perpetrator’s identity will give victims “peace of mind.”

“It’s the most important thing,” she said.

“Currently, victims may not be told who their stalker is – so they may walk past them on the street without them knowing,” she told the Today programme.