‘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.
The BBC has said it regrets not pulling the live stream of Bob Vylan’s “unacceptable” Glastonbury set – as Ofcom said the broadcaster has “questions to answer”.
The corporation has faced mounting criticism over airing the performance on Glastonbury‘s West Holts Stage, during which the rap-punk duo’s frontman Bobby Vylan led chants of: “Free, free Palestine” and: “Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)”.
Sir Keir Starmer condemned the remarks as “appalling hate speech”, while festival organiser Emily Eavis said they “crossed a line” – and media watchdog Ofcom has now also released a statement raising concerns.
This morning, a spokesperson for the prime minister did not directly answer when asked if he still had confidence in BBC director-general Tim Davie.
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What is the Glastonbury controversy?
Footage from Bob Vylan’s set on Saturday showed some of the crowd joining in, as the group performed in front of a screen that said Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to “genocide”.
Afterwards, the BBC said there had been a warning on screen about potential “strong and discriminatory language”, but described the comments as “deeply offensive”.
On Monday, a spokesperson released an updated statement, saying the comments were antisemitic and the performance should have been taken off air.
“The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence,” the statement said. “The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves. We welcome Glastonbury’s condemnation of the performance.”
Pic: PA
A judgement to issue a warning on screen while streaming online was in line with editorial guidelines, the spokesperson added, and the performance has not been made available to view on demand.
“The team were dealing with a live situation but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance. We regret this did not happen.
“In light of this weekend, we will look at our guidance around live events so we can be sure teams are clear on when it is acceptable to keep output on air.”
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An Ofcom spokesperson said: “We are very concerned about the live stream of this performance, and the BBC clearly has questions to answer.
“We have been speaking to the BBC over the weekend and we are obtaining further information as a matter of urgency, including what procedures were in place to ensure compliance with its own editorial guidelines.”
In a statement shared on Instagram on Sunday, Bobby Vylan said: “Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place.
“As we grow older and our fire starts to possibly dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us.”
The latest developments follows severe condemnation from the prime minister, who said there was “no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech”.
Mo Chara of Kneecap at Glastonbury. Pic: Reuters
Sir Keir also referenced a previous statement that Belfast rap group Kneecap, who were on stage after Bob Vylan, should have been removed from the line-up after one member was charged with a terrorism offence.
“I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence,” he said.
Ms Eavis, whose father Michael co-founded the festival, said in a statement that Bob Vylan had “very much crossed a line”.
She added: “Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.”
The Israeli embassy posted on X in the hours after the set, saying it was “deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric”.
It said the slogan used “advocates for the dismantling of the State of Israel”.
In a separate post on X on Sunday, Israel’s foreign ministry published graphic footage following the attack by Hamas on the Nova festival in Israel on 7 October 2023, and the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said it would be formally complaining to the BBC over its “outrageous decision” to broadcast the performance.
Speaking to Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on behalf of the government, Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the chant as “appalling”, especially at a music festival – “when there were Israelis at a similar music festival who were kidnapped, murdered, raped, and in some cases still held captive”.
He added that while “there’s no justification for inciting violence against Israelis… the way in which Israel’s conducting this war has made it extremely difficult for Israel’s allies around the world to stand by and justify”.
Lucy McMullin, who was in the crowd for Bob Vylan, told Sky News: “When there’s children and civilians being murdered and starved, then I think it’s important that people are speaking out on these issues.
“However, inciting more death and violence is not the way to do it.”
Police have said they are reviewing footage of both the Bob Vylan and Kneecap sets to assess whether any criminal offences were committed.
Speaking to Sky News earlier today, women and equalities minister Baroness Jacqui Smith said the comments “clearly” over-stepped the mark.
“I’m surprised that the BBC carried on broadcasting them live when it was obvious what was happening.”
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