Image copyright Conservative Party The maximum sentence for stalking available to courts in England and Wales is to rise from five years to 10.
Announcing the change, justice minister Sam Gyimah said: “Stalkers torment their victims and can make everyday life almost unbearable.”
If the offence is racially or religiously aggravated, the current seven-year maximum will go up to 14.
Mr Gyimah said the sentences were being doubled so these “awful crimes can be properly punished”.
He also said the government would work across the criminal justice system to ensure mental health issues associated with these crimes were properly addressed.
In 2015, 194 people were convicted of stalking in England and Wales and were, on average, sentenced to 14 months in jail.
The government will seek to bring in these changes in an amendment to the Policing and Crime Bill, which is currently going through Parliament.
It will also raise the maximum sentence for harassment from five to 10 years, and similarly ..
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