It’s time to talk about stalking

• Sets out the two stalking offences under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, comparing their particulars, sentences and limitations, before exploring the investigative difficulties and evidential hurdles.
• Considers the use of Stalking Protection Orders, and discusses the link between stalking behaviours and mental health disorders, highlighting the lack of research and the need for a new approach.

Stalking has been a recurring topic of conversation in recent months, particularly since the release of the Emmy award-winning Netflix series Baby Reindeer, which is widely understood to reflect a dramatised depiction of the true-to-life experience of stalking, by producer and star Richard Gadd, as Donny Dunn.

Baby Reindeer is a cautionary tale about the ease with which people can gain access to our lives, and how difficult it can be to stop those intent on pursuing contact. In the modern world, plastering our lives on social media has become normalised—the coffee shops we visit, the holidays we book. Even the running routes we take