5:41 PM stalking laws | ||||
#10 stalkers in court every week since new laws were passed but campaigners warn it is just the tip of the iceberg
Published: 08:59 GMT, 21 February 2014 | Updated: 09:57 GMT, 21 February 2014 View comments Ten stalkers have been sent to court every week since tough new laws were introduced to make it easier for victims to get justice. The government created a specific criminal offence of stalking to take action against people who lives make their victims’ lives a misery. New figures reveal that in a little over a year more than 560 cases have been sent to court, but campaigners warned too few police, prosecutors and judges had been trained to deal with difficult cases. In the first 13 months of the new stalking laws being on the statute book, 566 cases went to court, new figures show Plans to create a new criminal offence were first set out in 2011, because suspects were having to be prosecuted under other offences, frequently harassment or breach of the peace. Almost 40 per cent of stalking incidents in 2009-10 involved a partner or former partner; a third involved a stranger. Half of cases involved being sent unwanted letters, emails, text messages or cards that were either obscene or threatening.
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