Cork woman, subjected to stalking ordeal, 'relieved' victims will now be better protected 

A CORK woman who was subjected to a terrifying stalking ordeal has said she is relieved that victims of stalking will now be better protected.

Una Ring had campaigned to have a specific law introduced to better protect victims of stalking, and she welcomed the fact that such a law has now come into effect.

The stalking offence, with a maximum sentence of up to 10 years, is among new laws and tougher sentences for existing offences to come into force this week.

The Youghal woman, together with Sexual Violence Centre Cork and Sligo woman Eve McDowell, who is also a survivor of stalking, had campaigned for the introduction of specific legislation for stalking.

“We’re delighted that our hard work has finally paid off and relieved that victims of stalking will be better protected in the future,” Ms Ring told The Echo.

Welcome addition to Irish law 

Dr Catherine O’Sullivan, senior lecturer in criminal law and criminology at UCC, told The Echo that the implementation of the standalone offence of stalking is a welcome addition to Irish law.

Ms O’Sullivan said: “The biggest impact of the new stalking offence is that it uses ordinary language to describe the harm that is done and it will mean that victims can identify the harm quickly and more easily, and we know in other jurisdictions when they introduced a new stalking offence with the label ‘stalking’ attached to it, that it led to a dramatic increase in the number of reports of that crime, so it’s really significant that there’s a new stalking offence. It’s a really positive development.”

Ms O’Sullivan and her UCC colleague, Dr Ciara Staunton, published a report earlier this year on the results from the first national survey undertaken to examine the experiences of stalking and harassment in Ireland.

She said it is paramount that reports of stalking are taken seriously.

“We really need to share information about the specifics of the offence and also ensure that there is proper training given to the gardaí, so that when they receive stalking complaints they’re taken seriously and that the victims aren’t left feeling disheartened by the experience,” she said.

“Because we know from the report that myself and Dr [Ciara] Staunton did that experiences of reporting harassment and stalking to the gardaí aren’t always positive.”

New laws and tougher sentences 

Among the new laws and tougher sentences brought into force this week is an increase in the maximum sentence for assault causing harm from five to 10 years.

A standalone offence of non-fatal strangulation or non-fatal suffocation with a maximum sentence of up to 10 years, and a standalone offence of non-fatal strangulation or non-fatal suffocation causing serious harm with a maximum sentence of up to life imprisonment have also come into effect.

Speaking in relation to the new standalone offences for stalking and strangling, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said that the new laws are “significant” as both of these offences “are unfortunately common ways abusers assault victims”.

“It has been shown that non-fatal strangulation can be an indication of future, lethal violence and is a risk factor for homicides against women in the home,” she said.

“While choking and strangling are already illegal, it is my hope that this new offence will encourage victims to come forward and report what has happened to them.

“Similarly, while stalking is already illegal, we are creating a standalone offence, defined in terms of causing either a fear of violence, or serious alarm and distress that has a substantial impact on a person’s day-to-day activities.

“I want to thank Una Ring and Eve McDowell for their work in championing these particular changes and working with my and Oireachtas colleagues to make these changes happen.”

Regarding the new laws and tougher sentences that were brought into force this week, the founder and CEO of the Sexual Violence Centre Cork, Mary Crilly, said: “I welcome the changes and the implementation of the stalking legislation.”