Courts must take stalking more seriously
Sentences in case after case suggest the system doesn't realise the magnitude of the crime
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Catching stalkers is one thing - but lawmakers must force courts to deal with them properly
Thanks to Netflix series Baby Reindeer, which is based on real-life events experienced by its author, the issue of stalking and the misery and fear it causes has been very much in the media spotlight in recent weeks.
By Barrie Hudson
Leaving aside the various claims and counterclaims which have aired since Baby Reindeer entered the public consciousness, anything which highlights an issue which brings grinding horror and fear to countless people, day after day and often year after year, can only by a good thing.
We should make no mistake - there is not a community in the land unscarred by the scourge. According to the latest figures from Wiltshire Police, for example, a total of 503 stalking crimes were reported between May 23 last year and April 24 this year.
The average victim was 36 years old and 84 percent were female, 15 percent male and in one percent of cases the sex-gender of the victim was unknown.
Of those 503 reports, 70 came from Swindon and Royal Wootton Bassett. There were 15 in Rodbourne, 14 in Walcot East, 14 in St Andrew Ridge, 13 in Penhill and 14 in the Royal Wootton Bassett town centre area.
Wiltshire Police and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner could therefore scarcely have chosen a better time to launch a new campaign highlighting the behaviours which amount to stalking.
The campaign is centred around a video which is a well-executed and deliberately warped take on a typical trailer for a romantic comedy, in which a man's conduct after a relationship ends progresses through unwanted attention, the giving of unsolicited gifts, ignoring pleas to stop harassing her and finally a horrific attack.
Stalking is a pattern of fixated, obsessed, unwanted and repeated behaviour which can leave the target feeling scared or distressed. Although many cases of stalking involve violence and worse, a person does not have to suffer violence or be threatened with it in order to be a victim of stalking. Stalking can be any kind of persistent, unwanted contact which causes distress.
Stalking behaviours can appear small in isolation, but when they are combined into a pattern which follows the FOUR mnemonic - Fixated, Obsessed, Unwanted, Repeated - then victims should record it, keep a log of evidence and report it before it escalates further.
The campaign aims to educate on the 'red flags' which are common in the early stages of stalking but are sometimes misidentified as harmless or even desirable behaviours - hence the use of romantic comedy tropes in the video. The police are also sharing information about local support services, cyber stalking, the support friends and family can provide, the dangers of blocking a stalker and workplace stalking. The campaign is live on Wiltshire Police and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner socials.
Announcing the campaign and video, Assistant Chief Constable Mark Cooper said: “This campaign is encouraging victims and their families to spot the signs of stalking, how to report it and get support from organisations across Wiltshire and Swindon.
“Stalking is an intrusive crime, victims are endlessly harassed, their private lives completely intruded. The dangers of stalking should not be overlooked. Stalkers can change their behaviours and as they do, the risk to victims increases.
“We hope that any victims who see this campaign know they can report to us or seek support from FearFree or Swindon Domestic Abuse Support Service.
“At Wiltshire Police we work hard with partners to protect victims and pursue perpetrators.”
Equally commendably, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner recently funded a new Independent Stalking Advocacy Caseworker (ISAC) and has continued to fund a specialist court Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA) at the Wiltshire charity FearFree which supports victims through the criminal justice system.
Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said: “The seriousness of stalking and the damaging effects it has on victims has been highlighted recently in the media with several hit series being based on real-life, high-profile cases.
“With this heightened public interest and awareness of stalking, we must ensure that victims of these incredibly invasive crimes are being encouraged to report behaviours that fit into the FOUR framework to Wiltshire Police, as well as having access to the best support available through our work with organisations such as FearFree, Swindon Domestic Abuse Support Service, Horizon and Victim Support – regardless of whether or not they’ve reported a crime to the police.
“We’re already taking steps to do that, and the OPCC have recently run stalking workshops which enabled organisations who work with victims to come together and share ideas and talk about how we can achieve best practice.
“This along with working closely with the force to ensure better internal training for officers and raising awareness of the impact of stalking will contribute towards improving the experience of victims – a clear priority in my police and crime plan.”
This clear stance at the Wiltshire Force and by Mr Wilkinson will be of immeasurable benefit, and draws an unambiguous line in the sand for victims, encouraging them to come forward and seek help - and reassuring them that they will be taken seriously. This reassurance is crucial and potentially life-saving, as there is still a residual perception among many victims that their report may not be taken seriously. There were numerous high-profile cases in years past, albeit not in Wiltshire, in which people ultimately maimed or murdered by their stalkers had attempted to report the stalking, only to be blithely told to ignore it. Some surviving victims of stalking reported being told to take the stalking as a compliment.
However, there is one very significant fly in the ointment, and that is the law itself. From the people who make the laws and set punishment guidelines, all the way to the system which applies those laws and guidelines to real-life cases, something is clearly wrong. A consultation of any search engine will reveal numerous instances of lives shattered by stalkers, and of those stalkers being diligently tracked down by police officers, only for the court system to hand down jail terms which are not only an insult to victims but which offer precisely no deterrence to perpetrators.
In a recent case, for example, a stalker lay in wait for his heavily pregnant victim before springing out, chasing her down with a large knife and stabbing her mercilessly. Our legal system saw fit to see to it that this man will be as free as a bird in less than a dozen years. One can only hope the victim and her child are somewhere far away by then.
In another case of stalking, a broadcast journalist was pursued by an infatuated stalker for more than 20 years, during which he repeatedly defied court orders not to attempt contact with her and was not deterred by a series of trifling jail terms. In the most recent incident he tried to write to her from jail and was sentenced to a further eight years - of which he must serve only half in custody.
Some commentators - and plenty of crime victims - believe that once a person has shown they cannot be at liberty without bringing fear, misery and danger to others, there is a strong case for placing them permanently in a place where they can do no such harm. That wider debate is a matter for another occasion, but the fact remains that without changes in sentencing guidelines and the way courts deal with stalkers in general, police campaigns against stalking - even those which are timely and excellent - can be of only limited benefit to victims.
With a General Election in the offing, we would all do well to question anybody soliciting our vote regarding their thoughts on this matter and the tackling of crime in general.
For further advice about spotting the signs of stalking and how to report it and seek support, people can visit www.wiltshire.police.uk. In an emergency always call 999.
If a person is not sure whether they are being stalked, they can contact the National Stalking Helpline on 0808 802 0300 or via: https://www.suzylamplugh.org/pages/category/national-stalking-helpline
The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme gives any member of the public the right to ask the police if their partner may pose a risk to them. It is often called 'Clare's Law.’ This scheme also allows a member of the public to make an enquiry into the partner of a close friend or family member. For more information on this, people can visit https://www.wiltshire.police.uk/rqo/request/ri/request-information/cl/triage/v2/request-information-under-clares-law/?rid=73562
The police say that for those who feel they are being stalked, there is a list - non-exhaustive - of the signs:
Getting unexpected visits to your home or place of work
Having persistent phone calls, messages or contact over social media
Receiving unwanted gifts or items turning up at your address
Someone interferes or damages with your property, or breaking into your home
Someone hanging around where they know you visit
The stalker contacts your family, friends and colleagues to gain information about you, or make complaints
You receive verbal abuse and/or public humiliation
Hacking into your social media or your emails
Spreading rumours/discrediting you
Threats made against you, your family and your friends
You are blackmailed
The stalker seeks physical proximity by applying for jobs where you work; joining the same gym; church; professional/social sports groups or clubs; moving into the same neighbourhood or building
Identity theft – the stalker pretends to be you
Running up debt in your name
Planting spyware - viruses on your computer/laptop
Tracking your location.
The Ink News Briefing
Prospect Hospice launches urgent appeal amid funding crisis - Wroughton-based Prospect Hospice says it faces a critical financial shortfall which threatens the independent specialist end-of-life care the charity provides. Rising costs and stagnant government funding have left the hospice £1m short of what is needed this year. Read More
More adapted bungalows being built in Moredon - A further eight homes are being built in Moredon to support people with disabilities or who require live-in care. The two-bedroom semi-detached bungalows are under construction in Ventnor Close on an unused plot of land owned by Swindon Borough Council. Read More
Swindon Food Collective and local businesses pull together for half term - Teams from developer Barratt David Wilson have delivered items they've been collecting for Swindon Food Collective. Read More
Irreplaceable recordings saved for posterity by Swindon expert - Swindon-based archiver and former broadcaster Julian Watson has dedicated the last six months to digitising a rare collection of radio and video recordings. Julian, who has worked in professional broadcasting for over 40 years, including commercial and BBC radio, was visiting a former colleague at his home in Wiltshire when he was shown the extensive archive – lost in the back of bedroom wardrobes and cupboards. Read More
Making a Scene
A Spotlight on... The HAZ Orchestra
By Dave Franklin of Dancing About Architecture
It is interesting being involved in writing about all things music and performance, bands, artists, live gigs and the like. Mention any of those words to the average pop-picker or self-confessed music aficionado, and their thoughts generally turn to five white guys (and they usually are white guys) wielding guitars...sorry, axes (maan!) and playing tried and tested rock or pop forms. The charts, the radio, and the internet are full of them, ranging from the weekend hobbyist playing a few covers for a laugh to the would-be chart botherers looking to be taken seriously, get rich and launch their own fragrance and accessories brands as soon as is humanly possible.
But that is just the tip of the musical iceberg, perhaps even a distraction from the actual lay of the musical land. On any given day, even in a creatively modest place like Swindon, a wealth of other types of musicians can be found treading the boards: the troubadoric singer-songwriter, the party-popping function band, the cocktail bar pianist, the experimental electronic whizzkid, folk outfits and jazz creatives, soul bands and soloists, not to mention orchestral players filling hallowed halls and sun-strewn parks.
And it is to this last category that we look today as an example of this town's perhaps unexpected cultural offering, one that may fly under the radar of most people, even those who claim, "Yeah, I'm into all kinds of music." (This usually means that they have just discovered The Strokes and saw Ed Sheeran in the Manchester Enormodome three years ago.)
The HAZ Orchestra (more formally, the Heritage Action Zone Orchestra, but only its bank manager uses its full title) is a somewhat unique concept. Essentially, its ranks are filled with a mixture of adults taking up music later in life, professionals, people who may have studied an instrument as a youngster and are returning to it as a hobby to take their mind off the whole nine-to-five and younger talented players looking to stretch their musical legs and play with a more adult group. Their repertoire is broad, covering many eras and styles, and the players are equally eclectic - ex-youth orchestra players, folk jammers, jazz-cats, people who played in rock bands back in the day, and those who never really did anything with their music...until now.
Conducted by Major Peter Clark, chief executive of Swindon Music Service and rehearsing at The Platform, the HAZ has been together in this form for over five years. The remit is simple: to create an orchestra that can perform and collaborate with other groups, classical and otherwise, across Swindon. So far, they have performed a handful of shows, including two well-received appearances at GWR Park as part of the last two year's Blossom Festival and several Platform performances. But the future is looking bright for the Orchestra, and plans are afoot!
They will participate in Old Town Bowl's My Dad's Bigger Than Your Dad Festival this summer. Now in its fourth year, this tribute to the memory of ex-Victoria landlord Dave Young, who did so much to help build up the local music scene, the HAZ will be performing in the park as part of the free programme. Their set will include Palladio by man-of-the-moment film score composer Karl Jenkins and Eleanor Rigby by those Liverpool chancers, The Beatles.
It will also include Con Vigore, an intricate piece of modern classical composition by Peter Martin, an avid supporter of the Orchestra and who was in the process of writing pieces specifically for the HAZ before he sadly passed away during lockdown.
Already, the HAZ is spreading its wings, and rehearsals are underway to play some shows in the form of a classical quintet, mixing, arranging, and generally blurring the lines between the contemporary and the classical. One of these shows is already scheduled for that supporter of all things arty and alternative, Barristocats in Commercial Road.
So, if you didn't realise that Swindon even had such an orchestra, look out for the HAZ. If you like the sound of something different, then this is for you. If you thought that "nothing ever happens in this town," then you are not paying attention. If you believe that Swindon is just about rock covers, karaoke pop soloists, plaid-shirted acoustic strummers and DJs, then the HAZ Orchestra is here to help change all that. You might even want to get involved. Go on, what's the worst that could happen?
For more information, contact: jennygleeson414@gmail.com
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The Ink Talk
An insightful look at the history of the Old Town Hall and Corn Exchange with John Stooke
The next Ink Community Talk will be held as part of the Old Town Festival on Thursday 6 June at St Mary's Church in The Mall.
The talk entitled 'Market Masons and Music' will start at 8pm.
Local author, historian and Swindon Society committee member John Stooke will guide you through a captivating chapter on the rich history of Swindon's Old Town Hall and Corn Exchange.
Embark on a journey starting from the Market Square in the 13th century, understand the era of Brown and Plummer wine merchants, the Masonic Years, the Rink Cinema and Skating Hub, and the iconic Locarno Ballroom which included of course, wrestling, skating, and most recently bingo.
Discover the evolution of this historic building including the plans Steve Rozier had to redevelop the grade 2 Listed facility and bring its broken walls back from the ashes. Importantly, perhaps understand where it all went wrong.
Don't miss this opportunity of an engaging talk and images that will bring the vibrant past of the Old Town Hall and Corn Exchange fully back to life, sadly in just a metaphorical sense for now.
The talk is given in support of Prospect Hospice with entry by donation. For more details visit www.thisisoldtown.com/fringe-events-list
The Swindon Link Magazine Archive
Over on The Ink’s sister publication Swindon Link’s website you will find an impressive archive of the past 45 years of Swindon Link magazines, giving you a huge glimpse into the town’s recent past from the beginnings of West Swindon to now. You can find the archive here
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