WHAT DO STALKING VICTIMS NEED?

SOME PRACTICAL ADVICE

LORRAINE SHERIDAN
 EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM

• 21.3% of women, 9.2% of men in the UK (ONS, 2018)

• But stalking can be difficult to recognise, at least at first
 STALKERS AND THEIR VICTIMS
Victims
• 75 percent of victims are females
(Spitzberg, 2002)
• 2-82 years old but usually 18-30
(Hall, 1998; Tjaden & Thoennes, 1997) although
older (Mullen, Pathé & Purcell, 2000) and
younger (Budd & Mattinson, 2000) high-risk
groups identified
• All walks of life, but more often
highly educated (Brewster, 1997; Hall, 1998)
and in high-level professions (Hall,
1998; Pathé & Mullen, 1997)
• Most often those who are single and
who live alone (Budd & Mattinson, 2000; Hall,
1998)
Stalkers
• Higher SES than most other
criminals.
• Some are mentally disordered
(psychotic, manic). Correlated
with violence?
• Personality disorders
• Progressive Psychopathological
Deterioration (see Dressing &
Gass, 2011).
• A third are violent. Which group
are most violent?
 STALKERS EMPLOY MANY METHODS
(SOURCE: LORRAINE’S STUDY OF 1,700 VICTIMS)

Top 7 stalking behaviours: Less common stalker

1. Unsolicited telephone calls,
74%
2. Spying, 70%
3. Home visits, 65%
4. Spreading lies about the
victim, 63%
5. Threatening suicide, 62%
6. Unsolicited letters/other
written material, 62%
7. Followed, 60%
behaviours:
• Sexual assault, 24%
• Broke into victim’s home, 23%
• Abused victim’s pets, 20%
• Threatened to harm children,
16%
• Other stalking method(s), 9%:
• Defamation of character
• Complex surveillance
• Identity theft
 CONSEQUENCES OF STALKING

Victims+
• Social Primary victim only, 29%
• Victim’s friends, 29%
• Economic • Victim’s family, 25%
• Psychological • Victim’s children, 20%
• Physical • Victim’s work colleagues, 18%
• Victim’s partner, 17%
• Victim’s neighbours, 15%
• Others, 13%
21 = average number of people
affected in each case (although
there is usually only one primary
victim)
 VICTIM RESPONSES

• “I moved house, so did my parents, my grand-parents, I changed jobs and

phone numbers.”
• “He confronted me violently one evening, so I changed my car and moved
things round in my flat so it looked like I'd moved house, which seemed to
work.”
• “I attempted suicide by jumping in front of a bus right in front of his eyes
in February and the police involvement was as a result of this. It worked -
he left me alone after that.”
• “Left my home in the middle of the night and moved to another state. No-
one knew I was leaving, and I lost touch with everyone I had grown up
with.”
• “My stalker went to prison for six months, then having claimed to be
mentally ill, was transferred to the secure unit of the hospital I work in.”
MAJOR PROBLEMS IN RESPONDING TO
STALKING
• Knowledge gap
• Conflicting advice
• Unique features of stalking lead to difficulties
 ALTERNATIVE CHARGES
(ALMOST 10,000 CASES)

• Assault Occasioning Bodily Harm: 972

• Aggravated Sexual Penetration: 73
• Breach Family Violence Restraining Order: 972
• Breach of Violence Restraining Order: 10,572
• Burglary and Commit: 332
• Common Assault: 3,147
• Deprivation of Liberty: 152
• Going Armed in Public to Cause Fear: 78
• Stalking: 410
• Threats: 1,141
• Use Carriage Service to Menace/Harass: 127
THE CYCLE OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

• “Stalking is a core element of the cycle of domestic violence” (Coleman)

• NVAW Survey: 38% stalked by spouse or ex, 10% by co-hab or ex, 14% by
current
• Sheridan et al.: 22% refused to believe relationship was over
• US Dept of Justice: 43% of intimate stalking began after a break-up, 21%
before, 36% before and after
• “The prevalence of stalking was 76% for femicide victims and 85% for
attempted femicide victims.” (McFarlane et al)
• “A former (violent) relationship increases the risk of stalking victimization
and… a prior romantic involvement has an influence on the seriousness and
duration of the stalking (van der Aa)
 KEY INDICATORS OF HIGHLY
PROBLEMATIC EX PARTNER CASES (I)
• Persistence (is it going to continue?)
• Reoccurrence (if it’s stopped, what’s the risk of it starting
again?)
• Imminence (risk of attack).
• Diversity of behaviour
• Sense of finality
• Specific threats
• End of tether
• Morbid jealousy
• Victim perception
• Cumulative low level behaviour
 KEY INDICATORS OF HIGHLY
PROBLEMATIC EX PARTNER CASES (II)
• Stalker:
• Angry
• Irrational
• Unrepentant
• Obsessed
• History of intimate relationship problems
• History of non-intimate relationship problems
• Distressed
• Substance abuse issues
• Employment and financial problems
• Criminality
• See Kropp et al. (2007)
POLICE RESPONSES TO STALKING: FINDINGS FROM A
2017 UK SURVEY
321 CASES, NETWORK FOR SURVIVING STALKING (AUTHORS: SHERIDAN, HARVEY & YOUNG)

• 29%: First spoke with an officer.

• 9%: Some form of risk assessment had been conducted.
• Did the police recognise the situation as stalking?
• Yes, straight away: 16%
• Yes, but I had to report it more than once: 19%
• No: 57%
 WHAT DO VICTIMS NEED?

• To be taken seriously.
• Validation.
• A system that can “join the dots”.
• Reassurance.
• Acknowledgement of psychological and emotional harm.
• An understanding of risk.
• A plan.
• Advice on evidence collection.
 VICTIM COMMENTS
• “I have no idea why he was never charged, he would break into my house and watch me
sleep and they would just arrest him then let him go, he was arrested numerous times but
let go, he was a master liar and manipulator, but the police had my house on quick
response list, gave me window and door alarms, I never understood why he never got in
trouble.”
• “I felt that their hands were tied unless an 'actual crime' was committed. I also felt that
since I had had a relationship with the stalker the police didn't take it as seriously as they
might have if it were a stranger.”
• “Mediocre. Some were really supportive and ensured a DASH was completed, others
invalidated the stalking and made me feel as though I was making it up! When I
questioned why it was only being processed as harassment, rather than stalking, they told
me stalking causes fear, harassment is just an annoyance. I'm that fearful that I've moved
jobs and to another part of the country.”
• “They have not communicated with me and I constantly have to chase them. No one
seems to be taking responsibility for my complaint. I feel that as a man I am not being
taken seriously.”
• “They were very understanding when I thought I would have to do more and prove more
before they took my case seriously. I was actually very happy about the way in which
 EVIDENCE GATHERING

• Recognising the problem

• Assessing the context
• Identifying risk
• Information gathering
• Victim accounts and counter information
• Obtaining and preserving evidence
• Improving victim safety and security
 ASKING ABOUT THE SITUATION

• Ask for detail: chronology, background, fears, impact on social life, finances,
level of fear, how has the behaviour had a substantial adverse affect on day to day
activities, how has she changed as a person, identify ANY witnesses (colleagues,
trusted family members who can evidence anything including disclosures and the
impact on the victim). Consider medical evidence? PTSD? GP medical notes
(medical consent form) if victim is depressed or otherwise ill due to the
behaviours.
• Start with:
• “What is life like for you living here?”
• “What’s the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning?”
• “Is the level of investment the stalker is making disproportionate to what they are seeking to
achieve?”
• “What is the impact on your daily life?”
• “What changes have you had to make?”
• “How is life different now?”
 ACTIVE VICTIMS: ASK VICTIMS TO KEEP RECORDS

• did anyone else witness the

• Start a new page for each incident/behaviour? If they did, note their
incident. name, address and telephone number and
any other details known to you, e.g. place of
• State the date and time of each work.
incident. • the person making the entry should sign,
date and time each entry Please keep:
• Describe in detail exactly what • phone texts
happened and how it happened: • answer phone messages on landlines and
• who did it and how do you know who mobile phones
they are? • relevant letters
• what exactly did you see and hear? • video/photos
• what was said to you and by whom? • objects used in incidents
• was damage caused? If so what and • anything else relevant to the stalking.
how? • (Source: Cheshire Constabulary)
• how did it make you feel (emotional,
angry, upset, frightened etc.)?
 BACK TO THE SURVEY

• % charged with stalking/anything else: 4.6%

• % of victims told how to gather evidence to assist the police
investigation or for use in court: 38.6%
• % of victims told they could write a Victim Impact Statement
or a Victim Personal Statement: 27.1%
• Stalker issued with Police Information Notice or Harassment
Warning?: 23.1% (27% = didn’t know)
 CYBER STUFF

• Not believed/seems farfetched

• Two phones
• Opting out/privacy settings etc.
 CONCLUSIONS

• Stalking has far reaching long term consequences

• Stalking is often not considered to be very important
• Victims need to be active
• We should ask victims the right questions
• We need to join up the dots
• DV evolves into stalking
• WE HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE