Because the original piece has now moved off the front page, I’m moving this comment, that was posted yesterday on the thread, into a post of its own.

“The Claire Waxman case has now opened a Government petition – http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/clairescampaign – to get stalking laws changed and the introduction of psychiatric assessments for these stalkers – please can you all sign this petition and lend your support to this noble cause”

Here’s the blurb from the petition if anyone’s wondering what this is all about:

“Claire Waxman’s stalker Googled her 40,000 times, slept in her car and even caused her to have a miscarriage. For seven years he infiltrated her life, yet was jailed for just 16 weeks.

Claire says: “The legal process I experienced throughout my ordeal was sometimes as bad as the stalking itself. There was a total lack of consistent legal representation. Often I would arrive at court to find yet another new face from the Crown Prosecution Service working with me. I was forced to write my own précis of my case so that every time a new person came on board they would at least have the essential outline.”

In the UK, stalking affects around 1.5 million people a year. Some of you may be experiencing stalking or know someone who is. You have the power to help Claire – and thousands like her – who live in constant fear. Claire has launched Claire’s Campaign, asking the Government to make the following changes:

1. ‘Vertical Prosecution’ by the Crown Prosecution Service in stalking cases. This means the same specialist prosecutor see cases through from beginning to end.

2. A review of the guidelines on sentencing and the minimum and maximum jail term that can be imposed.”

There’s also an excellent piece about this in this week’s Now magazine (which by pure coincidence I read yesterday in a dentist’s waiting room before the comment went up)

Anway, I’ve signed the petition and I fully support the campaign. And no pressure or anything, but just in case you missed it, here’s the link again:

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/clairescampaign