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Stalking
We provide a free and confidential advice and support service.
What is stalking?
There is no legal definition for stalking. However, Veritas Justice works with the following definition:
“A pattern of fixated and obsessive behaviour which is repeated, persistent, intrusive and causes fear of violence or engenders alarm and distress in the victim.”
Even if there is no threat Stalking is still a crime.
Click here for practical advice if you feel you are a victim of stalking
Are you being stalked?
Stalking campaigns are often built on small, seemingly isolated and low-level crimes. Early, well-informed multiagency interventions are central to reduce revictimisation and help victims to cope and recover from the devastating effect of this crime.
"There were 1467 recorded stalking offences between April 2018- April 2019 in Sussex alone."
HMICFRS 2019 - Sussex Police inspection
Due to the repetitive nature of stalking and the psychological stress this places on victims, coping and recovering from stalking can be difficult. Victims are often isolated, unable to turn to friends and family or professionals who lack understanding of the nature of stalking behaviour and are often quick to dismiss seemingly ‘harmless’ behaviour.
Many stalking behaviours can be viewed as ‘low-level’ actions, for example delivering flowers, sending text messages, malicious social media posts, contacting friends and damaging property.
Are you being stalked?
- Are you frightened?
- Is there a history of abuse, stalking or harassment?
- Have they vandalised or destroyed your property?
- Have they turned up unannounced?
- Have they followed you, loitered or appeared near your home or place of work?
- Have they made any threats against you or others connected with you?
- Have they contacted, harassed or stalked your family, friends or colleagues?
- Have they acted violently towards anyone else during a stalking incident?
- Have they engaged other people to assist in contacting you?
- Have they had problems with drugs, alcohol or mental health?
- Have they ever been in trouble with the Police or have a criminal record?
- Have they blackmailed or threatened you with sharing intimate or embarrassing details with others?
- Have they been known to create multiple and/or fake online profiles to maintain contact?
- Do they have knowledge of, training in or access to weapons?
Click here for practical advice if you feel you are a victim of stalking
How we can help
- Listen to your concerns
- Carry out a risk assessment
- Devise a safety plan
- Be your voice in the system
The services we offer
- Advocacy & advice for service users
- IT interventions
- Cyber and online safety information
- Recovery, resilience & peer support groups
- Training and workshops for organisations
Never
- Think it is any less serious if there has been no physical violence
- Send a person away believing that it is not serious or saying that they are lucky to receive this kind of attention.
- Tell them to change their phone number or close down their social media profiles.
- Mediate, talk, meet with the stalking to resolve issues.
Jayne’s story
Veritas Justice is one of the services listed on Safe Space Sussex providing access to support for people when they are at their most vulnerable safespacesussex.org.uk