The change is part of the government's plans give more protection to victims of stalking in England and Wales - with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper pledging the government will use "every tool available" to take power away from abusers. About one in five women aged 16 and over in England and Wales have been a victim of stalking at least once, external, official figures show.The news that the identity of the (often anonymous) stalker will be disclosed to the victim garnered all the headlines, but this bit is rather more sinister:
If an accused person is acquitted, courts will still be able to apply protection orders on them if there is sufficient evidence indicating they still pose a risk to someone.
If they have been acquitted, then the court hasn't proved that to the satisfaction of a jury, and therefore that should be the end of it.
I assume that 'Pixie' Cooper will apply her intent to include male victims of female stalking, something which, in my time as a County Police officer, took up a good part of my time. So much so, that I sometimes took the view that the last word could be removed from, "Hell hath no fury to a woman scorned". Apart from this, she may be instigating offences under the Data Protection Act, to make just one.
ReplyDeletePenseivat
Our old and tried and tested justice system is under constant attack.
Delete