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Much of the literature on domestic abuse focuses on those in intimate partner relationships or ex-partners, however, in the UK the Home Office definition also includes those in familial relationships. The Domestic Abuse, Stalking, and Harassment and Honour-Based Violence Risk Assessment assumes homogeneous risk factors across all relationships. This paper therefore examines the risk factors for repeat victimization of domestic abuse by relationship type between the victim and perpetrator in a UK police force. Using police-recorded domestic abuse incident and crime data, a logistic regression model found that the most similar repeat victimization risk profiles for 14,519 victims were amongst partners and ex-partners, with both relationships demonstrating the greatest degree of gender asymmetry, compared with other familial relationships. Physical violence was the strongest predictor of repeat victimization and was a statistically significant predictor for ex-partners, partners, and all familial relationships. Coercive behaviour was also a significant predictor for all relationships apart from partners, but not at the same magnitude as physical abuse. Recognizing the difference in risk by relationship type may assist the police in deciding the most appropriate response and interventions to reduce the risk of further harm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The current study examines the overlapping victimizations of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and stalking. Method: An online data collection platform was used to recruit participants and data analysis examined relationship abuse and stalking victimization experiences and victim harms (e.g., resource losses, negative identity perceptions, sexual autonomy, and current mental health symptoms) for ex-partner stalking victims who were sexually assaulted during the abusive relationship (n = 392) compared to ex-partner stalking victims who were not sexually assaulted during the relationship (n = 169). Results: Results found that over half of the women sexually assaulted during the relationship reported sexual assault while being stalked compared to a small proportion of women not sexually assaulted during the relationship. Sexual harassment experiences were pervasive regardless of relationship sexual assault victimization. However, women sexually assaulted during the relationship experienced increased coercive control, sexual harassment, resource losses, safety concerns, sexual difficulties, and current mental health symptoms than stalking victims who were not sexually assaulted during the relationship. Multivariate results found that younger age, higher safety efficacy, and fewer sexual difficulties were significantly associated with higher sexual autonomy while younger age, increased safety concerns, lower safety efficacy, increased resource losses, and increased sexual difficulties were significantly associated with increased recent PTSD and depression/anxiety symptoms. Conclusion: The current study results suggest that it is important to examine a wide scope of victim harms and that helping victims with safety planning in intimate relationships as well as to protect resource losses may be crucial for their recovery journey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the UK, around one-third of young people are exposed to Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse (IPVA) by 21 years old. However, types of IPVA victimization in this population (psychological, physical, sexual), and their relationship with impact and perpetration are poorly understood. Methods: Participants in a UK birth cohort reported IPVA victimization and perpetration by age 21. We carried out a latent class analysis, where we categorized IPVA by types/frequency of victimization, and then assigned individuals to their most probable class. Within these classes, we then estimated rates of reported: 1) types of negative impacts (sad, upset/unhappy, anxious, depressed, affected work/studies, angry/annoyed, drank/took drugs more); 2) types/frequency of perpetration. Results: Among 2130 women and 1149 men, 32% and 24% reported IPVA victimization (of which 89% and 73% reported negative impact); 21% and 16% perpetration. Victimization responses were well represented by five classes, including three apparent in both sexes: No-low victimization (characterized by low probabilities of all types of victimization; average probabilities of women and men belonging to this class were 82% and 70%); Mainly psychological (15% and 12%); Psychological and physical victimization (4% and 7%), and two classes that were specific to women: Psychological and sexual (7%); Multi-victimization (frequent victimization for all three types; 4%). In women, all types of negative impact were most common in the Psychological and sexual and Multi-victimization classes; for men, the Psychological and physical class. In women, all types of perpetration were most common for the Mainly psychological, Psychological and physical and Multi-victimization classes; in men, the Mainly psychological and Psychological and physical classes. Discussion: In this study of young people, we found categories of co-occurrence of types and frequency of IPVA victimization associated with differential rates of negative impact and perpetrating IPVA. This is consistent with emerging evidence of IPVA differentiation and its variable impact in other populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner homicides are often situated within the context of domestic abuse, and although less prevalent than domestic abuse, there have been several multi‐agency approaches to understanding the risk for these fatal crimes. Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) were introduced in 2011 to provide information to help with assessing such risk. This paper aims to analyse DHRs in England and Wales to investigate/determine risk factors for domestic homicide following intimate partner abuse. All publicly available DHRs published between July 2011 and November 2020 where the victim and perpetrator were or had been intimate partners (N = 263) were retrieved from Community Safety Partnership websites in England and Wales. A quantitative design was used to extract data from DHRs, and descriptive and inferential statistics were generated by SPSS 26. Findings identified risk factors relating to domestic abuse, including stalking, separation, and the victim being in a new relationship. Sociodemographic risk factors included higher levels of deprivation, lower income and higher barriers to housing and services. This highlights the role of both individual and sociodemographic factors in domestic homicides, and particularly the need for greater socioeconomic security for victims of domestic abuse. In conclusion, though much of the data is in line with previous research, our analysis highlights the pivotal role of regional poverty, with comfortable socioeconomic conditions offering protection against intimate partner homicides. This research suggests important directions for future research and makes a valuable contribution to a more in‐depth understanding of the relationship between domestic abuse and intimate partner homicide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stalking involves repeated unwanted communication, harassment, and intrusive behaviour. This brief report draws on a service evaluation undertaken immediately prior to and during the 2020 COVID-19 crisis. The pandemic creates a paradox when considering safety in the home, but it is important to recognise the dangers this presents to many victims of stalking. The information presented in this report is based on existing literature and early evidence from semi-structured interviews and discussions with 15 victims and six practitioners. Whilst lockdown measures might appear to be a time when victims are less accessible to their stalkers, early evidence from this study suggests that their vulnerability is increased. Technology has helped to facilitate stalking behaviours by providing stalkers with new approaches to control, humiliate, threaten and isolate their victims. Some lockdown restrictions have provided increased opportunities for stalkers to monitor their victims and the professional uncertainty and recognition around stalking has continued, coupled with delays in the criminal justice system. The COVID-19 crisis has reversed gains made by stalking victims and has imprisoned some victims in their homes making their whereabouts easier to monitor. Stalking behaviour has not ceased as a result of the COVID-19 restrictions and the risk of harm to victims remains significant. Effective practice, policy and legal responses are required for both the victims and perpetrators of stalking during the pandemic and afterwards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employs a qualitative phenomenological exploration of the "lived" experiences of male intimate partner stalking (IPS) perpetrators serving a custodial sentence in the United Kingdom for an offense related to intimate partner violence (IPV). The purpose of this study is to capture the nature and complexity of the experiences of the pathway to IPS from the perspective of the perpetrator. The study seeks to provide a unique understanding of how IPS perpetrators attribute meaning to their behavior, illuminating the underpinning cognitive characteristics and emotions that play a role in their behavior. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven men with a history of IPS behavior. The resultant transcripts were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Five superordinate themes reflecting participants' experiences were identified: (a) "The quest for attention and affection creating connection,"(b) "Conflicted identity and extremes of self," (c) "My life, a film set," (d) "Gameplaying: One step ahead," and (e) "Severed connections, changing the Gameplay." The findings are presented in relation to the existing literature and theoretical frameworks which seek to explain stalking perpetration. The analysis provides a greater understanding of men who have engaged in IPS behavior, demonstrating how hearing the perspective of the perpetrator has value in informing theory and intervention. The study has provided valuable insight into the cognitive characteristics of this population and a rich understanding of the profiles of men who have engaged in IPS behavior. Implications for forensic practice, policy, and research are outlined, and recommendations for future research and overall limitations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This analysis charts the emergence of a distinct British nuclear culture during the early post-war years and investigates the various forms of influence that the United States exercised on its development. Beginning with a disastrous breakdown of transatlantic nuclear co-operation in 1946, it establishes the true degree of sovereignty enjoyed by Britain's nuclear engineers as they navigated a new relationship with a senior partner that acted simultaneously as a vital knowledge donor and commercial competitor. The analysis next highlights how competition with Washington's vast atomic project only magnified the pre-existing appreciation of thrift engrained in British physicists, in turn causing them to develop an institutional self-image that prized nuclear capabilities more for their technical integrity than their political convenience. In this way, Britain's atomic specialists identified a role for themselves as the spiritual guardians of a technology that was just beginning to embark upon a global journey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to provide practitioners with a brief but comprehensive review of the current evidence base for psychological treatment approaches used in the UK that may be useful for stalking therapies. Design/methodology/approach: A rapid evidence assessment was conducted on papers (post the UK Protection from Harassment Act, 1997) that discuss treatments of stalking (with or without a conviction) and associated offences/disorders. Therapies reviewed were Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Analytic Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and Schema Therapy. Searches for Mentalization-Based Therapy and Psychodynamic Therapy in relation to stalking were also performed but yielded no results that met inclusion criteria. Findings: There is currently a severely limited evidence base for the efficacy of the psychological treatment of stalking behaviours. Some interventions show promise although a multifaceted, formulation-based approach is likely to be required. Practical implications: Future research would benefit from robust studies focused on stalking with long-term efficacy follow-ups. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first rapid evidence review of psychological treatments that directly address stalking behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, there have been few studies with victims of stalking in the United Kingdom, and this is the first to have been conducted following the clarification of stalking as a criminal offense in 2012. In 2016, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Inspectorate (HMCPSI) announced the first ever inspection into harassment and stalking in England and Wales. This article presents research commissioned by HMICFRS as part of the inspection. In particular, we explore how victims described the response of the police and situate this within the context of changing legislation and previous research in the field. In total, 35 people shared their experiences of reporting harassment and stalking, 14 people completed an online survey, and 21 participants were interviewed. Responses were analyzed thematically and a series of themes were identified. The analysis suggests that despite the clarification of stalking as a criminal office in 2012, the majority of participants described poor responses from the police—with many describing police inaction, or inappropriate action—in addition to feeling blamed and not being taken seriously. The article considers possible explanations for these issues and concludes by calling for harassment and stalking legislation in England and Wales to be clarified, and for police training to shift the focus of the investigation from the behavior of the offender, to the emotional impact on the victim. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research exploring the experiences of men who have stalked is lacking, specifically how they construe their reality for stalking episodes. Addressing this absence of experiential expert contribution was the pivotal and timely aim of this research, given interventions for stalking are under-developed. Seven in-depth interviews were conducted with men convicted of stalking and held in UK prisons. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used with a unique, visually adapted repertory grid technique, derived from Personal Construct psychology (PCP). Both methods allow the researcher to explore the sense-making of experts by experience, hence the combined methodology produced an in-depth assessment of the phenomenon of stalking. This was the first study to capture the constructed realities of men who stalk, and the first study to use repertory grids with stalkers, piloting a visually adapted repertory grid technique for maximizing engagement. High levels of convergence between participants were found, with the analysis leading to the generation of three superordinate themes: (i) Neediness, (ii) "Nothing could stop me", and (iii) Labeling, which were broadly supported by the repertory grid analyses. The findings contribute to both knowledge and practice gaps by supporting the relational goal pursuit theory for stalking and providing an evidence base to support therapeutic interventions for people who stalk. The effectiveness of deterrence and a need to improve social awareness for stalking are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article shows how domestic violence perpetrators can use coercive control against their children after their ex‐partner has separated from them. Coercive control can include violence, threats, intimidation, stalking, monitoring, emotional abuse and manipulation, interwoven with periods of seemingly 'caring' and 'indulgent' behaviour as part of the overall abuse. Crucially, what this article provides is knowledge, hitherto largely missing, about how children and young people can experience coercive control post‐separation. The article draws on two separate data sets, one from the UK and one from Finland, which together comprise qualitative interviews with 29 children who had coercive control perpetrating fathers/father‐figures. The data sets were separately thematically analysed, then combined using a qualitative interpretative meta‐synthesis. This produced three themes regarding children's experiences: (1) dangerous fathering that frightened children and made them feel unsafe; (2) 'admirable' fathering, where fathers/father‐figures appeared as 'caring', 'concerned', 'indulgent' and/or 'vulnerable‐victims'; and (3) omnipresent fathering that continually constrained children's lives. Dangerous and 'admirable' fathering describe the behaviours of coercive control‐perpetrating fathers/father‐figures, while omnipresent fathering occurred in children as a fearful mental and emotional state. Perpetrators could also direct performances of 'admirable' fathering at professionals and communities in ways that obscured their coercive control. Implications for policy and practice are discussed. 'What this article provides is knowledge, hitherto largely missing, about how children and young people can experience coercive control post‐separation' Key Practitioner Messages: Children and young people can be direct victims/survivors of coercive control and they can experience it in much the same ways as adults do – feeling confused and afraid, living constrained lives, and being entrapped and harmed by the perpetrator.Coercive control can harm children and young people emotionally/psychologically, physically, socially and educationally.Robust measures are required to deal with coercive control perpetrating fathers/father‐figures, in order to prevent them from using father–child relationships to continue imposing coercive control on children and ex‐partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Honour Based Violence (DASH) form is a standardized risk assessment implemented across most UK police forces. It is intended to facilitate an officer's structured professional judgment about the risk a victim faces of serious harm at the hand of their abuser. Until now, it has been an open question whether this tool works in practice. Here, we present the largest scale European study, making the case that the risk assessment tool is underperforming. Each element of the DASH questionnaire is, at best, weakly predictive of revictimization. Officer risk predictions based on DASH are little better than random and a logistic regression model that predicts the same outcome using DASH only provides modest improvement in performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article will critically examine how the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 is currently being used to tackle online abuse. The use of the Internet to abuse another is on the increase, with the police receiving increasing reports concerning abuse conducted online. This article will examine the failures by the criminal justice system to adequately apply the Protection from Harassment Act in a technology-based world. It will be put forward that changes are needed within the criminal justice system in order to better protect victims of cyber harassment and cyberstalking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is the fortieth anniversary of the review of maximum sentences by the Advisory Council on the Penal System. This article examines the ongoing issues with setting statutory maxima and reflects on the Advisory Council's review. It argues that when appraising the appropriateness of a maximum sentence, comparison to the maxima of other offences is theoretically grounded. Yet problems arise in practice due to the historical contingency of statutory maxima. It argues that there is too much scope for the rhetorical use of comparison to increase maxima and, indirectly, to drive-up sentencing levels. The time has come for a new review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Little is known about the differences between gang members and gang affiliates—or those individuals who associate with gangs but are not gang members. Even less is known about how these groups compare with other violent populations. This study examined how gang members, gang affiliates, and violent men compare on mental health symptoms and traumatic experiences.Method: Data included a sample of 1,539 adult males, aged 19 to 34 years, taken from an earlier survey conducted in the United Kingdom. Participants provided informed consent before completing questionnaires and were paid £5 for participation. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to compare participants’ symptoms of psychiatric morbidity and traumatic event exposure.Results: Findings showed that, compared to violent men and gang affiliates, gang members had experienced more severe violence, sexual assaults, and suffered more serious/life-threatening injuries. Compared to violent men, gang members and gang affiliates had made more suicide attempts; had self-harmed more frequently; and had experienced more domestic violence, violence at work, homelessness, stalking, and bankruptcy. Findings further showed a decreasing gradient from gang members to gang affiliates to violent men in symptom levels of anxiety, antisocial personality disorder, pathological gambling, stalking others, and drug and/or alcohol dependence. Depression symptoms were similar across groups.Conclusions: The identified relationship between gang membership, affiliation, and adverse mental health indicates that mental health in gang membership deserves more research attention. Findings also indicate that criminal justice strategies need to consider gang members’ mental health more fully, if gang membership is to be appropriately addressed and reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A survey concerning intrusive/aggressive behaviours towards MPs was administered at Westminster, and in Queensland, New Zealand and Norway. Follow-up interviews were conducted with a sample at Westminster. This paper examines the experiences and associations of the 239 Westminster responders, of whom 81% had experienced intrusive/aggressive behaviours, 18% been subject to attack/attempted attack, and 53% stalked or harassed. Being stalked and subject to certain types of intrusive/aggressive behaviour were associated with younger age and being in the Commons five years or less, but serious incidents were more common in those who had been MPs for longer. There were no associations with brief periods of harassment. Some differences with party and constituency type emerged. Mental illness was prominent amongst perpetrators. Motives predominantly concerned personal grievances. Significant proportions of MPs suffered psychological ill-effects, necessitating inconvenient behaviour changes. Internal consistencies in these results and similarities to other sites are explored, and their implications discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Politicians suffer intrusive and aggressive behaviours from members of the public, often lone actors fixated on personal grievances. Few explorations of intrusive behaviours towards politicians have been published; their results are not directly comparable. We surveyed intrusive/aggressive behaviours towards UK members of parliament (MPs); our survey instrument was then administered to MPs at three other parliaments (Queensland, New Zealand, and Norway), providing a cross-national, four-site comparison. 239 MPs completed the UK survey. This 38% response rate produced prevalence rates remarkably similar to the other sites, New Zealand having an 84% response rate. 81% of UK MPs had experienced one or more of the 12 behaviours specified, the mean being five. 18% had been subject to attack/attempted attack, 42% to threats to harm and 22% to property damage. In 53% of respondents, experiences met definitions of stalking or harassment. This has implications for the provision of risk assessment and management. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose Research has demonstrated that certain relational biases exist within perceptions of stalking. One such bias concerns the perception that ex-partner stalkers are less dangerous than those who target strangers or acquaintances despite applied research suggesting the opposite. Method In all, 135 police officers in England (where stalking has been outlawed since 1997) and 127 police officers in Scotland (where stalking has been outlawed since 2010) responded to vignettes describing a stalking scenario in which the perpetrator and victim were portrayed as strangers, acquaintances, or ex-partners. Results Although typical relational biases existed in both samples, Scottish police officers were less susceptible to these biases than English police officers. Victim responsibility mediated the relation between prior relationship and perceptions of stalking for the English, but not the Scottish, police officers. Conclusions Future work should examine whether these biases may be found in other areas of the criminal justice system, and how far they are influenced by policy, practice, and training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examines the influence of prior relationship on perceptions of relational stalking in the context of both opposite- and same-sex scenarios using community samples from Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The study used a quasi-experimental 3 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 (prior relationship × perpetrator sex × target sex × participant sex × country) independent measures design. Participants comprised 2,160 members of the community, each receiving 1 of 12 versions of a hypothetical scenario and responding to scale items concerning the situation described. The findings support previous research, with scenarios involving a stranger (rather than an acquaintance or ex-partner), and scenarios involving a male perpetrator and a female target, being considered the most serious. The findings further indicate that female observers identify more closely with the role of the victim and male observers identify more closely with the role of the perpetrator, regardless of victim and perpetrator sex, and that differences in the findings across the three countries may be affected by location to a small but significant degree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses significance of a joint inspection of the British criminal justice system by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, which described effect of harassment and stalking as crimes of persistence, and increase in violence.

Stalking was first criminalised in the United States in the early 1990s and most recently two stalking offences were introduced in the United Kingdom to deal specifically with stalking behaviour, strengthen the prosecution of stalkers and improve the protection of victims. However, despite growing policy and research attention in the last decade, the available knowledge and understanding regarding the nature and impact of stalking and the needs of its victims are rather limited. As such, this article aims to add to current knowledge by exploring the needs and suggestions of stalking victims based on the in-depth accounts of 26 self-defined victims/survivors of stalking who took part in a study examining the impact of stalking and the criminal justice system responses to victims. Overall, the findings of this study indicate that often stalking victims' voices are not heard, their complaints are dismissed, their emotional turmoil is not recognised, their needs for support and safety are not properly addressed and therefore while they may be statistically present, in essence they remain 'invisible'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of its policy to end violence against women and girls, the UK Government is rolling out domestic violence protection powers that will enable police to act more quickly in urgent situations. The new provisions follow on from the successful roll out of ‘Clare’s law’, which allows information relating to a person’s previous abusive behaviour to be passed to their partner. This article sets out the powers available to the police and court to protect people from domestic violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a commentary on the prosecution of stalkers in Great Britain under the Protection From Harassment Act of 1997. Several court cases are presented in order to differentiate the prosecution of stalking as assault from the prosecution of stalking as harassment. The use of the Protection of Freedoms Act of 2012 in stalking cases is also discussed.

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One in every five women will experience stalking in their lifetime. Research suggests the lifetime prevalence rate ranges between 12% and 32% for among women and 4% and 17% among men. The majority of stalking victims have had some form of prior relationship with their stalker. The aim of the current study was to examine whether victim–offender relationship influences police officers’ perception of a stalking event. Police officers (n = 132) and lay participants (n = 225) read one of three stalking scenarios where the nature of relationship between the victim and the stalker was manipulated to reflect an ex-intimate, work acquaintance, or stranger relationship. Results revealed that, for both samples, prior victim–offender relationship affected the extent to which the scenario was perceived to involve stalking behavior, with the stranger stalker scenario endorsed as most strongly constituting a case of stalking. Officer experience of stalking cases mitigated some prevalent stereotypical beliefs concerning stalking (e.g., victim responsibility). The findings suggest that further training is necessary to combat common misconceptions surrounding stalking. The importance of understanding how both lay and police responses are influenced by the perceived victim–offender relationship is discussed in relation to the development of public awareness campaigns and police officer training. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

North American scholarship has charted resonances between 1990s legislative and feminist discourse concerning violence against women. Feminist critique of official discourse surrounding the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 suggests that 1990s resonances did not reach the UK: however, an examination of the Hansard debates suggests this under-estimates the influence of feminist discourse. Halley's discussion of 'bad faith' helps to explain both the tendency of feminists to under-estimate their influence and why this matters. A commitment to an understanding of themselves as powerless may encourage feminists to underplay similarities between feminist and official discourse, leading feminists to find only what they expect. Such an understanding gives feminism the capacity to change social life without acknowledging, let alone agonising over, the full range of its distributive effects. This is most troubling in relation to 'carceral' feminism, since under-assessment of feminist impact encourages amplification and intensification of the carceral message. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare professionals are known from previous studies to be at risk from stalkers, and mental healthcare professionals, particularly psychiatrists, are thought to be at higher risk. However, no previous large-scale study has investigated this among psychiatrists. This questionnaire-based survey of 10,429 UK psychiatrists aimed to investigate the prevalence, nature and impact of stalking of UK psychiatrists. Of the 2,585 psychiatrists who submitted valid responses, 21% thought they had been stalked; the experiences of 33% met current legal criteria and 10% met strict research criteria. Three percent of respondents were currently being stalked; 2% reported that their stalking had begun in the past year. Of those who had been stalked, 64% were stalked by patients. The most commonly reported motives were intimacy seeking and resentment. Stalking persisted for over a year for 52% of victims. The stalking was intrusive, disruptive, and had significant impact. Organizational and individual responses varied in scope and effectiveness. Stalking of psychiatrists is therefore an important professional hazard with a serious impact. Improvements in organizational responses to stalking are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main risk of death or serious harm to public figures in western countries comes not from terrorists or criminals, but from the activities of lone individuals with intense pathological fixations, the majority of whom are mentally disordered. We report preliminary efficacy data from the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre (FTAC), the first joint police/National Health Service unit in the United Kingdom, which was set up to assess and manage such risks. One hundred consecutive cases assessed as being of moderate or high concern were examined. Eighty-six per cent suffered from psychotic illness. Following FTAC intervention, 57% were admitted to hospital by local psychiatric services, and 26% taken on by community psychiatric teams. Concern levels were reduced to low through FTAC interventions in 80% of cases. FTAC proved able to catalyse suitable health outcomes which both benefited the patients and reduced risk to public figures. The advantages of joint police-National Health Service units are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is an inevitable consequence of plausible anonymity and deliberately lax regulation that the potential for 'virtual' harassment or 'cyber-'stalking, with the attendant possibility of threats, alarm, distress, slander and physical danger that go hand in hand with real world harassment, will increase the more widely available access to the Internet. The (relatively) recent explosion in casual exchange of personal information following the growth of sophisticated social networking platforms, the logical successors to more basic Internet chat-rooms, opens further the possibility of acquiring an unwanted connection with an obsessive party. The authors consider the application of current UK legislative safeguards to the Internet, looking at the suitability of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, data protection, unauthorised modification of computer software, libel law, external Internet regulation, Convention and Codes, and the potential for vicarious liability of employers where harassment is carried out by an employee, amongst other issues and conclude that there is a pressing need for primary legislation to counter the inadequacy and lacunae found in current domestic law. The authors go on to consider the extraterritorial application of such legislation and postulate the need for a re-balancing of the competing rights of freedom of speech and personal safety and wellbeing. The authors further consider the potential liabilities of Internet Service Providers (ISPs), webhosts and Social Networking and chat-room forum sites, concluding that a shift in liability for Internet harassment from progenitor to facilitator is inevitable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Knowledge about stalking, and in particular the people who do it, is limited in the UK. Aim This study aims to describe a sample of stalkers drawn from the resident population of Broadmoor high security hospital in the UK. Methods Case notes and research database information for 362 consecutive admissions were used to identify stalkers retrospectively. Data were extracted using a stalking behaviour screening checklist. Results A total of 33 patients (9.1%) were classified as stalkers. They were mostly male (28), young (median age 29), unmarried (30), minimally educated and unemployed. Most had psychosis and personality disorder. They had inflicted a wide range of unwanted intrusions and communications on their victims, and both threats (55%) and assaults (45%) were common. The types of stalkers were more or less equally split between intimacy seeking, rejected suitors, resentful and predatory, with only a tiny group being incompetent suitors. Conclusions Although this small group of stalkers had been intrusive and attacking, few had been referred for treatment because of the stalking. The screening questionnaire is easy to use and can be done from records. It may be that such screening should become routine in specialist secure hospitals. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many stalkers suffer from mental disorder, and this may bring them into contact with psychiatrists before their stalking behaviour is identified. This study set out to identify information obtained during a forensic psychiatric assessment which might indicate the presence of stalking behaviours and prompt further assessment. Thus 362 consecutive admissions to Broadmoor Hospital were comprehensively assessed, including an assessment of stalking behaviours. Using both univariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression, associations were found between stalking and: committing sexual offences or having a sexual motive for offending; a lack of physical contact with the victim immediately before the index offence; lacking a pattern of theft and other minor acquisitive offences; and, among those who kill, having diminished responsibility. These factors may help in the assessment of patients who might be stalkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although an increasing amount of literature has appeared in recent years on the subject of stalking, little is known about mental health nurses’ (MHNs) experiences of this phenomenon. The aims of the study were to investigate: (1) the incidence of stalking among a sample of MHNs in the UK; (2) who the perpetrators were; (3) the impact of stalking on MHNs; and (4) how MHNs manage their experiences. Employing a survey design, the British version of the Rutgers-Penn clinicians and stalking questionnaire was distributed to a convenience sample of 400 MHNs in the UK. Data were analysed by means of descriptive statistics and McNemar test. The findings reveal that: (1) 50% ( n = 56) of MHNs who completed the questionnaire had been stalked; (2) on the whole, victims were female (78.6%) and stalkers males (82.1%); (3) stalkers were from a variety of social groups including mental health service users and MHNs; (4) victims were threatened, followed, physically assaulted and received unwanted communication; (5) MHNs reported a variety of stress-related (psychological and behavioural) responses to their experiences; and (6) employed a range of coping strategies. This study serves to raise awareness of a number of issues surrounding an under-reported phenomenon in mental health nursing and points to the need for further research to explore the reliability and consequences of the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the first academic case study of a Great Britain cyberstalking incident that involved an individual known to have harassed at least four victims. Description of how the harasser selected victims, his use of technology to gather confidential information about them and his use of multiple personalities as part of the process of harassment; One of the problems associated with studies of harassment via the Internet; Conclusion.

This article examines the sufficiency of the legal response to stalking in terms of the penalty that can be imposed under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. It is argued that the statute places limitations upon the availability of a sentence that adequately reflects the severity of the harm involved. This is exacerbated by the sentencing policy outlined in the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000, which delineates the circumstances in which a sentence of imprisonment may be imposed. Central to this article is the distinction between a violent act and an act of violence and the role of the relevant conduct and consequences in the categorisation process. The article concludes with a consideration of whether the recommendations of the Halliday report would strengthen the law in this respect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise in public concern regarding stalking during the course of the 1990s led to the introduction of anti-stalking statutes around the world. Experience showed that the early laws were deficient and as legislation spread, so the laws evolved to take these deficiencies into account. Meanwhile, in the UK, cases were dealt with under existing provisions, but as case-law in this area developed and more cases came to court the introduction of an anti-stalking statute became inevitable. The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 was widely drafted to deal with stalkers and other forms of harassment. The effectiveness of the Act, now four years old, has been reviewed, and a number of problems highlighted. The Act would be more effective if it was used by police, prosecutors and the courts more consistently. A programme of widespread dissemination of the provisions within the Act is now called for. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents results from the first survey of stalking victims to be conducted in the United Kingdom. In-depth questionnaire data are drawn on to investigate the course and nature of prolonged stalking in 95 self-defined victims. Findings indicate a pattern of repeated intrusions, a high violence risk for both victims and their loved ones, a dearth of sources of support, and varied police response. Stalkers had higher socio-economic status than most other criminals, were ex-partners of the victim in under half of cases, and did not necessarily operate alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The killing of women by their intimate, or former intimate, partners is a serious social, criminal justice, and public health issue. There are significant pressures on public services in the United Kingdom and other places to reduce the number of deaths, and a need for more information to aid in assessing risk. The aim of this article is to develop understanding of nonclinical risk assessment by organizing the perpetrator journey to homicide using temporal sequencing and drawing from coercive control discourse.

The article focuses on the establishment of the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre (FTAC) in Great Britain. The unit combines the team of doctors, psychologists and social workers with police officers. According to clinical director David James, FTAC is much about public health as it is about protecting prominent people. Its work begins when a threatening communication is received a royal household or by a politician. FTAC is said to be the start of a movement within psychiatry and society to recognise the effect of fixation.

Provides information on the legislation of the Protection from Harassment Act in 1997 passed in England and Wales. Definitions of stalking; Range of behavior involved in stalking; Classifications of stalking behavior.

The article discusses a study on stalking incidence among mental health nurses (MHN) in Great Britain. The study found out that 50% of the MHNs who completed the survey reported that they have been stalked. The results also revealed that 82.1% of the stalkers were men and 78.6% of the victims were women. The victims experienced being threatened, followed and physically assaulted.

Reports on the findings of a study about the stalking of mental health nurses in Great Britain. Nurses' perception of potentially dangerous incidents; Types of stalkers; Psychological impact of stalking to nurses.