Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce tougher sentencing for stalkers.

Stalking is an insidious crime that can have a devastating impact on a victim’s wellbeing. This Government is committed to protecting and supporting victims and is determined to do everything we can to stop perpetrators at the earliest opportunity.

In 2012 the Government created two stalking offences to highlight stalking as a specific behaviour, and through the Policing and Crime Act 2017 the maximum penalties for certain stalking and harassment offences were raised from 5 to 10 years’ imprisonment. There are currently no plans to make further changes to the penalties available for stalking offences.

In January 2020 we introduced new civil Stalking Protection Orders to protect victims of stalking at the earliest possible opportunity and address the perpetrator’s behaviours before they become entrenched or escalate in severity. A breach of this order carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment.