‘I was scared to go out’: Campaigners argue ‘invaluable’ specialists could massively increase stalking convictions
What Emily experienced when a previous relationship broke down was a living nightmare.
Her ex-boyfriend harassed her relentlessly by phone and email after she told him she didn’t want to get back together.
It was a terrifying experience.
She told Sky News: “I was scared to go out. I kept turning off all my devices because I couldn’t bear to hear the phone ring or the messages ping.
“I didn’t know what the next message or email was going to say.
“I was getting multiple emails from different addresses that he’d set up. I felt like everything was closing in on me.”
Emily was eventually diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
But it wasn’t just the stalking that took its toll – so did her dealings with the police.
She says officers didn’t initially deal with her case effectively. In fact, she thinks they may have potentially put her in danger.
She explained: “One of the first pieces of advice I was given by the first officer that took a statement was ‘just block him and ignore him,’ which sounds like a normal thing to do but actually when you’re dealing with stalkers it can escalate [their] behaviour.
“If you do block someone then they could find other ways to contact you and it could suddenly turn much more intense and dangerous by someone coming to physically find you.”
Specialist advocates are critical to delivering justice for more victims, says the Suzy Lamplugh Trust
Emily eventually turned to the National Stalking Helpline for help.
“The helpline said it was really important to keep open a line of communication, not to respond but to keep track of the escalating behaviour which was later used as evidence in court and was very helpful,” she said.
Emily’s ex-boyfriend was eventually convicted, although he never served time in prison.
She has a restraining order against him.
How vital advice boosts conviction rates
Emily gives much of the credit for that conviction to the advocate the National Stalking Helpline and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust put her in touch with.
The charity says independent stalking advocates help victims to understand their rights, log evidence and apply for stalking protection orders. They also provide support throughout an extremely difficult and distressing process.
“This was an invaluable asset. Someone who helped me both on a personal level and an emotional level – I had their mobile phone number and I could call them or email at any time,” said Emily.
She added: “They were the go-between for me and the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, and then the whole judicial system.
“Without the advocate, I really don’t feel that I would have been as strong as I was in terms of the evidence I provided and the way that I dealt with the whole situation.”
Sky’s Becky Cotterill talks to stalking victim ‘Emily’
But advocates are far from a given for the majority of victims, who are mostly women.
There were an estimated 1.8 million victims of stalking last year and less than 1% had access to a support advocate, according to the Suzy Lamplugh Trust.
The vast majority of cases go unreported, but of those that are reported, on average, only one in a thousand stalkers are convicted.
Compare that to when an advocate is involved and the conviction rate massively increases to one in four stalkers.
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Calls for protection in new law
Campaigners are calling for stalking advocates to be included in the Victim and Prisoners Bill which is currently going through parliament.
“It would be a critical step towards ensuring that every victim of stalking is supported so that no victim falls through the cracks,” said Sarah-Louise Edwards, head of operations for the Suzy Lamplugh Trust.
“We’re still seeing a lack of convictions. We’re also seeing a lack of knowledge and implementation of stalking protection orders around the UK varying in different police areas,” she added.
The charity says specialist advocates are critical to delivering justice for more victims.
Sarah Champion MP wants better access to independent stalking advocates
While the Victim and Prisoners Bill refers to independent advocates for people who experience sexual or domestic violence, it doesn’t mention similar services for victims of stalking in its current form.
“The specialism of a stalking advocate really does help us get the convictions but also helps us educate the police and the justice system. You’re looking at changing the system, that’s what they can do with their specialist skills,” says the MP Sarah Champion, who is campaigning for better access to independent stalking advocates.
Delivering advocates for all victims would take time and be costly, but charities say the government needs to recognise the role it has to play so more victims stand a chance of getting this much-needed support.
A government spokesperson from the Ministry of Justice said: “We have quadrupled funding for victim support and made major changes to police practice and the law so that victims get the help, safety and justice they deserve.
“Stalking can be extremely distressing for victims which is why we have introduced Stalking Protection Orders and doubled the maximum sentence from five to 10 years.”
Emily’s name has been changed to protect her identity.
Sir Keir Starmer has joined other European leaders in Kyiv to press Russia to agree an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
The prime minister is attending the summit alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, recently-elected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
It is the first time the leaders of the four countries have travelled to Ukraine at the same time – arriving in the capital by train – with their meeting hosted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz travelling in the saloon car of a special train to Kyiv. Pic: Reuters
Leaders arrive in Kyiv by train. Pic: PA
It comes after Donald Trump called for “ideally” a 30-day ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow, and warned that if any pause in the fighting is not respected “the US and its partners will impose further sanctions”.
Security and defence analyst Michael Clarke told Sky News presenter Samantha Washington the European leaders are “rowing in behind” the US president, who referred to his “European allies” for the first time in this context in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“So this meeting is all about heaping pressure on the Russians to go along with the American proposal,” he said.
“It’s the closest the Europeans and the US have been for about three months on this issue.”
Sir Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron among world leaders in Kyiv. Pic: AP
Trump calls for ceasefire. Pic: Truth Social
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies are ready for a “full, unconditional ceasefire” for at least 30 days starting on Monday.
Ahead of the meeting on Saturday, Sir Keir, Mr Macron, Mr Tusk and Mr Merz released a joint statement.
European leaders show solidarity – but await Trump’s backing
The hope is Russia’s unilateral ceasefire, such as it’s worth, can be extended for a month to give peace a chance.
But ahead of the meeting, Ukrainian sources told Sky News they are still waiting for President Donald Trump to put his full weight behind the idea.
The US leader has said a 30-day ceasefire would be ideal, but has shown no willingness yet for putting pressure on Russian president Vladimir Putin to agree.
The Russians say a ceasefire can only come after a peace deal can be reached.
European allies are still putting their hopes in a negotiated end to the war despite Moscow’s intransigence and President Trump’s apparent one-sided approach favouring Russia.
Ukrainians would prefer to be given enough economic and military support to secure victory.
But in over three years, despite its massive economic superiority to Russia and its access to more advanced military technology, Europe has not found the political will to give Kyiv the means to win.
Until they do, Vladimir Putin may decide it is still worth pursuing this war despite its massive cost in men and materiel on both sides.
“We reiterate our backing for President Trump’s calls for a peace deal and call on Russia to stop obstructing efforts to secure an enduring peace,” they said.
“Alongside the US, we call on Russia to agree a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace.”
Sir Keir and Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting in March. Pic: AP
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Putin’s Victory Day parade explained
The leaders said they were “ready to support peace talks as soon as possible”.
But they warned that they would continue to “ratchet up pressure on Russia’s war machine” until Moscow agrees to a lasting ceasefire.
“We are clear the bloodshed must end, Russia must stop its illegal invasion, and Ukraine must be able to prosper as a safe, secure and sovereign nation within its internationally recognised borders for generations to come,” their statement added.
“We will continue to increase our support for Ukraine.”
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The European leaders are set to visit the Maidan, a central square in Ukraine’s capital where flags represent those who died in the war.
They are also expected to host a virtual meeting for other leaders in the “coalition of the willing” to update them on progress towards a peacekeeping force.
Military officers from around 30 countries have been involved in drawing up plans for a coalition, which would provide a peacekeeping force in the event of a ceasefire being agreed between Russia and Ukraine.
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This force “would help regenerate Ukraine’s armed forces after any peace deal and strengthen confidence in any future peace”, according to Number 10.
A special constable has been jailed after taking pictures on his phone from bodycam footage showing a dying man.
Former police volunteer William Heggs, 23, was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment at Leicester Crown Court on Friday after showing the photos of victim William Harty, 28, to a female colleague and storing them on his Snapchat account.
Mr Harty was found seriously injured in a residential street in Leicester on 25 October 2021 and Heggs had attended the scene, helping with CPR before paramedics arrived.
Mr Harty died in hospital a day later and the man responsible for his injuries, his brother-in-law Martin Casey, was subsequently convicted of his manslaughter.
Heggs showed the pictures he had taken of bodycam footage of Mr Harty’s body to a Leicestershire Police constable, who reported Heggs and said she did not like seeing blood.
His phone was seized and officers discovered other photographs and video clips of bodyworn footage of incidents Heggs had attended on duty, including of a knife seizure, use of baton and pepper spray, and a man with an injured hand receiving first aid.
He also took pictures of a police computer screen, showing details of crimes and suspects, without consent.
Heggs stored the materials in a Snapchat folder and disclosed graphic details – most of which were not in the public domain – about the injuries to a woman who was killed in a road traffic collision he had attended, to a friend on the social media platform.
Heggs was suspended from the force in November 2021 and resigned in October 2024 before pleading guilty to 11 computer misuse and data protection offences this March.
William Harty’s widow Mandy Casey. Pic: PA
‘He has traumatised me’
Mr Harty’s widow, Mandy Casey, said in a victim impact statement read to the court that Heggs “took (her) husband’s dignity when he was most vulnerable”.
“You don’t take someone’s dignity and pride from them on their deathbed.”
She continued: “When I found out special constable Heggs had done this, I just wanted to ask why. He has traumatised me. I feel I will never know if he showed them to others.”
Ms Casey said she was still scared that photos of her husband’s body might appear on social media.
She added that she had lost trust in the police.
Public trust in police ‘significantly undermined’
Judge Timothy Spencer told Heggs, who has autism and ADHD, that he was “probably too immature to be working as a police officer” as he handed down the sentence.
He said Heggs had received “extensive training”, including on the importance of data protection, and knew he should only share materials for “a genuine policing purpose”.
Heggs’s actions had “significantly undermined” public trust and confidence in police, according to the judge.
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Malcolm McHaffie, from the Crown Prosecution Service, added: “William Heggs abused the public’s trust in the office he held as a special police constable.
“He violated the dignity of the deceased victims for no apparent reason other than what could be considered personal fascination and to gain credibility among his peers.”
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