For the first time victims of stalking have had their ordeal
recognised in official government guidance. The Crown
Prosecution Service (CPS) has published revised guidance on
stalking and harassment. It emphasises the existence and
widespread nature of stalking as a particular category of
harassment and it identifies the various ways in which stalking
occurs. There is no legal definition of stalking, neither is
there specific legislation to address this behaviour. It is a
term used to describe a particular kind of harassment, and is
generally used to describe a long-term pattern of persistent and
repeated contact with, or attempts to contact, a particular
victim. Harassment is also not specifically defined but can
include repeated attempts to impose unwanted communications and
contacts upon a victim in a manner that could be expected to
cause distress or fear in any reasonable person. The term
harassment is used to cover the ‘causing alarm or distress’
offences under section 2 of the Protection from Harassmen