SHOULD STALKING BE MADE AN OFFENCE SAY MP'S

 SHOULD STALKING BE MADE AN OFFENCE SAY MP'S

Tuesday 07 February 2012

Harassment and intimidation too often lead to murder, says a new inquiry, which calls for stalking to be made a criminal offence.



An independent inquiry into the reform of stalking laws is calling for key changes to training and risk assessment, as well as the treatment and sentencing of stalkers.

The parliamentary inquiry into stalking law reform was set up as part of the government's ongoing review into harassment legislation. Stalking is currently dealt with under harrassment legislation, but MPs and peers say stalking needs to be a specific offence in itself for it to be properly dealt with in the criminal justice system.

While a new law is needed, MPs and peers warned that this would not be enough to protect victims and "fundamental reform" of the system is needed.

According to figures from the British Crime Survey, there may be 120,000 instances of stalking every year in England and Wales, but only 2 per cent of cases result in convictions.

The recommendations come days after a man who stalked his ex-girlfriend on Facebook before stabbing her to death was jailed for life after being found guilty of murder.

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