Victims of stalking will be given the right to know the identity of those harassing them online under new measures announced by the Home Secretary.
Yvette Cooper has pledged to use “every tool available” to shift power from abusers to victims following warnings that police are failing to protect those targeted by stalkers.
The changes come as figures suggest one in seven people aged 16 and over in England and Wales have experienced stalking at least once. The new statutory guidance will ensure police can inform victims of their stalker’s identity at the earliest opportunity.
The new “right to know” guidance was inspired by broadcaster and former Coronation Street actress Nicola Thorp’s experience of online stalking.
The government is bringing in the legislation
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Police will now be empowered to disclose a stalker’s identity even after arrest, addressing a key concern where victims previously had to wait until court proceedings.
London’s independent victims’ commissioner Claire Waxman welcomed the changes, noting that police and the criminal justice system had long “struggled to deal robustly with stalking.”
The Home Office will also publish new data on stalking offences to better inform policy and policing decisions across England and Wales.
Thorp endured two years of harassment from a man who used nearly 30 social media accounts to send violent and misogynistic messages. The perpetrator, who called himself “the Grim Reaper,” once claimed he had gotten close enough to smell her on a train.
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Nicola Thorp has been campaigning for the legislation
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Despite his arrest, Thorp was not permitted to know his identity until he appeared in court, where he received a 30-month prison sentence and lifetime restraining order.
“For too long, stalking victims have been at the mercy not only of their stalker, but a justice system that failed to protect them,” Thorp said.
Stalking Protection Orders will be made more widely available, allowing courts to ban perpetrators from approaching or contacting their victims. Courts will now be able to impose these orders after conviction even if none existed before trial, marking a change from current requirements.
The orders will also prevent offenders from contacting victims while in prison, addressing concerns raised by Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips about her own experience of prison stalking. Even if someone is acquitted, courts can still apply protection orders if there is sufficient evidence the person poses an ongoing risk.
Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, Jess Phillips with London Mayor Sadiq Khan
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The government has also committed to reviewing existing stalking legislation to help police better identify and arrest offenders.
“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,” Cooper said.
“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.”
The Home Secretary added that the measures are “an important part of our cross-Government mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.”
