By now, you're probably aware that the Crown Prosecution Service [CPS] has highlighted love bombing in its updated guidance around stalking, harassment, and coercive control.
This means that prosecutors will need to consider love bombing – defined by Ruth Davidson (Refuge's chief executive officer) as “an attempt to influence and manipulate a partner by repeated and intense demonstrations of attention and affection, such as bombarding with gifts or messages” – when navigating cases involving stalking.
The updated guidance coincided with National Stalking Awareness Week (24-28 April), organised by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, which campaigns for greater public awareness (and government action) surrounding personal safety, stalking, and violence against women.
We spoke to Olivia Rose, the CPS's lead on stalking and Deputy Chief Crown prosecutor, to find out more about stalking, including the myths and misconceptions that deter people from reporting, how stalking is prosecuted, and what you should do if you think it's happening to you.
Here's what we learned…
There's no specific legal definition of stalking…
While UK legislation provides examples of stalking behaviours – such as following a person or attempting to contact them by any means – there is no specific definition of stalking itself.
The CPS describes stalking using the acronym “FOUR”: that is, behaviour which is “Fixated, Obsessive, Unwanted, and Repeated,” according to Rose. The behaviour must be “persistent, intrusive and either causes fear of violence or engenders alarm and distress in the victim” she adds.
Many victims of stalking think the CPS won’t be able to prosecute unless they are at risk from violence, but this isn't the case, according to Rose.
“If we can show that the stalking or harassment has caused serious alarm and distress to the extent that it has significantly impacted their ability to carry out their normal day-to-day routine, then we can consider prosecuting the more serious offence of stalking,” she says.
This means that if you've ever had to switch up your daily routine due to another person – e.g., changing your route home, moving house, using different entrances at work – the CPS may be able to prosecute the perpetrator.
Love-bombing can be a warning sign of stalking behaviours…
Under the CPS's new guidance, prosecutors are encouraged to look for more subtle ways that a perpetrator can exert control over their victims, such as love bombing. Rose tells GLAMOUR that the updated guidance ensures prosecutors look at all of the evidence and how it's impacted the victim to build that picture of their “manipulative behaviour.”
This means the CPS can “present a robust case in court and show perpetrators that this behaviour will not be tolerated.”
It's estimated that two in five women avoid the gym because men make them uncomfortable.
Cyber-stalking is just as serious as ‘traditional’ stalking…
“One of the hardest things about cyber-stalking, from a victim's point of view, is that it can happen anywhere,” explains Rose.
She adds, “During lockdown in particular, a lot of cyber stalkers were targeting young people because they were isolated in their homes, in their bedrooms, etc. And they didn't need to know where they were going to be. They could stalk them every minute of every day.”
While cyber-stalking is just as serious as physical stalking, in some cases, it's easier for prosecutors to build a case against the perpetrators. “There's a wealth of evidence we can get,” explains Rose. “That helps us when we come to prosecute because we've got all these devices with all this information on it, which could be incredibly useful.”
In an interview with Paladin, the National Stalking Advocacy Service, Rose further discussed cyber-stalking and what victims can do to preserve evidence. “Screenshots can be valuable for [prosecutors],” she explains. Paladin also recommends that victims keep an “incident diary” to keep a log of all communications from the perpetrator, including the platform on which the communications are sent, the date on which they're sent, and their content.
If you're being cyber-stalked, you shouldn't necessarily block the perpetrator…
It may seem counter-intuitive, but blocking a cyberstalker isn't always the best course of action. “If somebody wants to stalk you, then they're going to stalk you, and they'll find other platforms,” explains Rose.
“And what that does is it just opens their mind up to opening up three or four other different platforms, and then it's much harder to try and to try and reduce that and minimize that impact if it's coming from all different angles.”
If it's safe to do so, Paladin recommends telling the perpetrator to stop. If the CPS has evidence that the victim did not want this contact, it is “much easier to prosecute on the basis that [the perpetrator] was ”absolutely aware that this contact was unwanted.
For more advice and information about stalking, you can visit the Suzy Lamplugh Trust or contact their helpline on 0808 802 0300. You can also find advice at support at Paladin, the National Stalking Advocacy Service.
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