2:00:00 > 2:00:00SPOTLIGHT STALKER NIC B884P/01 BRD000000
1:53:38 > 1:53:42Stalking - it's a crime that breeds fear and terror.
1:53:42 > 1:53:44Never seen this person before.
1:53:45 > 1:53:47He just came from out of the blue
1:53:47 > 1:53:49and became this scary character that...
1:53:51 > 1:53:52..hunted me. For years.
1:53:54 > 1:53:56And it takes over victims' lives.
1:53:57 > 1:54:00I don't go out very often, constantly checking the doors,
1:54:00 > 1:54:03constantly looking out the window.
1:54:03 > 1:54:06I'm surrounded by security everywhere.
1:54:06 > 1:54:10CCTV, panic buttons up and downstairs...
1:54:10 > 1:54:12Alarm systems.
1:54:13 > 1:54:17But in Northern Ireland, it is an invisible crime.
1:54:17 > 1:54:19In purely legal terms, it doesn't exist.
1:54:20 > 1:54:23We don't name it as a specific criminal offence.
1:54:25 > 1:54:28But according to some victims, this means police
1:54:28 > 1:54:32and prosecutors then fail to protect them.
1:54:32 > 1:54:34Am I ever going to be rid of this man?
1:54:34 > 1:54:36Are the police ever going to take me seriously?
1:54:36 > 1:54:38Am I a nuisance to them?
1:54:38 > 1:54:39Do they think I'm making it up?
1:54:41 > 1:54:45So why is Northern Ireland the only region of the UK not to
1:54:45 > 1:54:47recognise stalking in law?
1:54:48 > 1:54:51And what are the consequences for the victims?
1:55:10 > 1:55:14You may think it is something that only happens to celebrities -
1:55:14 > 1:55:17movie stars or pop stars like Lily Allen.
1:55:17 > 1:55:20I could see from the minute that he came into my bedroom that he
1:55:20 > 1:55:23was ill and that he needed help.
1:55:26 > 1:55:31The majority of victims of stalking are women and most stalkers are men.
1:55:33 > 1:55:37According to research in Great Britain, stalking affects up
1:55:37 > 1:55:39to one in six women in their lifetime.
1:55:41 > 1:55:44If the same were to be true in Northern Ireland, that would
1:55:44 > 1:55:48mean thousands and thousands of people here are affected.
1:55:50 > 1:55:53Breaking the silence are women in Northern Ireland with
1:55:53 > 1:55:57powerful experiences of their stalking nightmares.
1:56:11 > 1:56:13In early 2011, Vicky Clarke was on
1:56:13 > 1:56:16a night out in Bangor with friends.
1:56:18 > 1:56:19I went to the bar to get a drink
1:56:19 > 1:56:21and this man stood beside me
1:56:21 > 1:56:23and said, "Do you remember me?"
1:56:23 > 1:56:26I didn't know him, I couldn't remember him.
1:56:26 > 1:56:29We just had a wee chitchat and that was it.
1:56:29 > 1:56:31Um, a couple of months later,
1:56:31 > 1:56:34he popped up on Facebook
1:56:34 > 1:56:36and befriended me, if you like.
1:56:40 > 1:56:43The pair dated during that summer.
1:56:43 > 1:56:46Vicky remembers they had good times together.
1:56:46 > 1:56:49Scenic places, parks, cafes...
1:56:49 > 1:56:53We'd have driven quite a bit around, if you like, the peninsula.
1:56:53 > 1:56:56I did have feelings for him.
1:56:56 > 1:56:58Bruno Mars, "Catch a Grenade for You",
1:56:58 > 1:57:01believe it or not was our theme song!
1:57:01 > 1:57:03And also, there was a very soft side to him.
1:57:05 > 1:57:08But it was a short-lived romance.
1:57:09 > 1:57:13After just a few months, Vicky said she told him
1:57:13 > 1:57:14he wasn't the man for her.
1:57:16 > 1:57:17And he didn't react well.
1:57:19 > 1:57:21PHONE RINGS
1:57:21 > 1:57:23One night, she switched off her phone
1:57:23 > 1:57:27to get a break from him persistently contacting her.
1:57:28 > 1:57:31I woke up to text messages and missed calls from friends
1:57:31 > 1:57:34saying, "Vicky, check your Facebook page, quickly".
1:57:35 > 1:57:37So I did and I was horrified.
1:57:40 > 1:57:43What she saw was a sexually explicit photo of her
1:57:43 > 1:57:45that he'd posted online.
1:57:46 > 1:57:49I was panicking, I couldn't... It was one of those moments
1:57:49 > 1:57:52when you're just trying to get on the computer as quick as you can.
1:57:52 > 1:57:55I was so ashamed, so humiliated,
1:57:55 > 1:57:57so degraded.
1:58:01 > 1:58:05Vicky says she foolishly agreed to him taking some photos,
1:58:05 > 1:58:07but she thought he had deleted them.
1:58:10 > 1:58:14We were out one night, had a couple of drinks, came back to his place
1:58:14 > 1:58:16and I posed, if you like,
1:58:16 > 1:58:19for a couple of photographs.
1:58:21 > 1:58:22He asked for them.
1:58:22 > 1:58:25I didn't think anything about it.
1:58:25 > 1:58:28I didn't realise that this could happen to me.
1:58:28 > 1:58:33She went to the police, but they didn't charge him with any offence.
1:58:34 > 1:58:37So she ended up keeping in touch with her ex,
1:58:37 > 1:58:42she says in part to ensure he didn't do anything more with the pictures.
1:58:44 > 1:58:46I led on to be friends with him.
1:58:46 > 1:58:49I thought if I don't aggravate him or I don't annoy him,
1:58:49 > 1:58:52then maybe if I just seem like we're friends,
1:58:52 > 1:58:54maybe then he won't start doing his worst.
1:58:54 > 1:58:56But that wasn't the case.
1:59:02 > 1:59:06Over the next few months, she says he bombarded her with texts,
1:59:06 > 1:59:08e-mails, letters and cards.
1:59:08 > 1:59:10Some were messages of love,
1:59:10 > 1:59:12others were threatening.
1:59:14 > 1:59:16And then he wrote, "Every breath I take
1:59:16 > 1:59:18"I think of you, I love you with all my heart,
1:59:18 > 1:59:20"I never ever will hurt you,
1:59:20 > 1:59:25"I will honour and respect you, I am here for you, my only love."
1:59:26 > 1:59:30He then began following her and turning up at her workplace.
1:59:31 > 1:59:35Some days, he showed up on her commute to or from work.
1:59:36 > 1:59:39I wanted him to stop, I didn't want him to come near me.
1:59:39 > 1:59:41I was coming home over the Queen's Bridge in Belfast,
1:59:41 > 1:59:44he actually came to my window at the traffic lights
1:59:44 > 1:59:46and started banging on my window, "I love you!"
1:59:46 > 1:59:47at the top of his voice.
1:59:48 > 1:59:51I didn't know what to do, I was terrified.
1:59:54 > 1:59:55It does seem like
1:59:55 > 1:59:58normal relationship break-up stuff at first?
1:59:58 > 2:00:01Yes, it was like that for me, I thought he was just heartbroken and
2:00:01 > 2:00:06he was just trying to keep in touch with me, but it moved from feeling
2:00:06 > 2:00:10loved, if you like, or heartbroken, to feeling actually quite scared.
2:00:12 > 2:00:16But what Becky didn't realise was that what was happening to her
2:00:16 > 2:00:18had all the hallmarks of stalking.
2:00:20 > 2:00:22Stalking behaviour can happen
2:00:22 > 2:00:24when the couple are still together,
2:00:24 > 2:00:28so for example a husband or partner turning up in the workplace,
2:00:28 > 2:00:32following the person when they're going on a night out.
2:00:32 > 2:00:34So it happens when the couple are still together,
2:00:34 > 2:00:36but happens more predominantly when...
2:00:36 > 2:00:38Once the couple have separated.
2:00:41 > 2:00:43Whilst part of Vicky badly wanted rid of him,
2:00:43 > 2:00:47she also still had feelings for him.
2:00:47 > 2:00:50She says on one occasion, even after he posted the intimate
2:00:50 > 2:00:54photo on Facebook, she slept with him a final time.
2:00:56 > 2:00:58I mucked that up myself.
2:00:58 > 2:01:01He persisted and persisted in contacting me.
2:01:02 > 2:01:03Hindsight's a great thing.
2:01:03 > 2:01:06But I didn't know what this person was like,
2:01:06 > 2:01:07I didn't know what he was like.
2:01:10 > 2:01:14Vicky eventually cut off all contact with her ex, and the PSNI
2:01:14 > 2:01:18attempted to make a harassment case against him, but it failed.
2:01:21 > 2:01:25She accepts that the police's task was made more difficult
2:01:25 > 2:01:28by the fact she hadn't made a clean break from the relationship.
2:01:31 > 2:01:36After the case collapsed, she says the stalking behaviour got worse.
2:01:39 > 2:01:41She claims he made threats to kill her.
2:01:42 > 2:01:46She also moved house, but he found out where she was.
2:01:50 > 2:01:54Vicky documented and reported incidents to the PSNI.
2:01:56 > 2:01:59In March 2013, she was back at the police station
2:01:59 > 2:02:02to log another approach from her stalker.
2:02:04 > 2:02:09And when she left, she says he was actually waiting outside for her.
2:02:09 > 2:02:12I went back into the police station, thinking great, police officers
2:02:12 > 2:02:15are going to witness him, cos all the time I've been doing this,
2:02:15 > 2:02:19you have to have witnesses, you have to have evidence, record everything.
2:02:20 > 2:02:24According to Vicky, her stalker made up an excuse for being there
2:02:24 > 2:02:27and the matter was closed.
2:02:27 > 2:02:30But the incident left her with serious questions
2:02:30 > 2:02:33about the police attitude to what was going on.
2:02:34 > 2:02:37I thought, am I ever going to be rid of this man?
2:02:37 > 2:02:39Are the police ever going to take me seriously?
2:02:39 > 2:02:41Am I a nuisance to them?
2:02:41 > 2:02:42Do they think I'm making it up?
2:02:42 > 2:02:45There were times, more intermittent,
2:02:45 > 2:02:48Vicky says her stalking ordeal has continued.
2:02:48 > 2:02:52Recently, police have provided her with a panic alarm,
2:02:52 > 2:02:55but they still haven't built a case against her alleged tormentor.
2:02:55 > 2:02:59So in March, she applied to court herself.
2:02:59 > 2:03:03On the day of the hearing, her former boyfriend signed
2:03:03 > 2:03:07an undertaking promising to leave her alone.
2:03:07 > 2:03:09I've been robbed of five years of peace,
2:03:09 > 2:03:10feeling normal,
2:03:10 > 2:03:12feeling safe,
2:03:12 > 2:03:16being a mum who's carefree and happy.
2:03:16 > 2:03:19I feel like I'm tired of firefighting, that I've had to fight
2:03:19 > 2:03:23a stalker, I've had to fight the police, I had to fight the court.
2:03:25 > 2:03:29When we contacted the man Vicky said stalked her, through his
2:03:29 > 2:03:30solicitor, he said that he
2:03:30 > 2:03:33"vigorously and entirely denied her allegations".
2:03:35 > 2:03:39We also asked the PSNI to respond to Vicky's claims that they had failed
2:03:39 > 2:03:44to investigate her case properly and viewed her as a nuisance.
2:03:44 > 2:03:48The police said they could not comment on Vicky's case
2:03:48 > 2:03:50as the police ombudsman is investigating
2:03:50 > 2:03:53a complaint from her about their handling of it.
2:03:55 > 2:03:58What we're doing is a bunch of women are getting together
2:03:58 > 2:03:59and we're going to sign a petition
2:03:59 > 2:04:02and bring it to the Assembly to ask them to change our laws.
2:04:02 > 2:04:05Vicky and friends are gathering signatures for her
2:04:05 > 2:04:07"laws for women" petition.
2:04:07 > 2:04:10They are protesting because Northern Ireland is the only
2:04:10 > 2:04:14region of the UK that does not have stalking legislation.
2:04:16 > 2:04:19They're demanding Stormont now make stalking a specific
2:04:19 > 2:04:20criminal offence.
2:04:24 > 2:04:26I'll chain myself to the gates of Stormont
2:04:26 > 2:04:29and that's just how far I'm going to go with this. They have to listen.
2:04:29 > 2:04:31The government has to listen.
2:04:34 > 2:04:38Stalking involves persistent and clearly unwanted attention.
2:04:38 > 2:04:42It can cause fear, anxiety, alarm or distress.
2:04:42 > 2:04:45In extreme cases, victims have been murdered.
2:04:45 > 2:04:48Usually, it involves tracking someone
2:04:48 > 2:04:52and sometimes in the most mundane ways.
2:04:52 > 2:04:54Leaving gifts is a behaviour that's very common -
2:04:54 > 2:04:57unwanted, romantic gifts - that other people would not
2:04:57 > 2:05:00regard as problematic in any way, shape or form,
2:05:00 > 2:05:04but actually, to the person that receives that gift,
2:05:04 > 2:05:06it's a real...
2:05:06 > 2:05:07You know, it's a threat.
2:05:07 > 2:05:10It's a threat because that's saying, "I know where you are,
2:05:10 > 2:05:12"I know what you're doing."
2:05:15 > 2:05:19Because stalking isn't named in law in Northern Ireland,
2:05:19 > 2:05:23the type of unwanted and persistent attention Vicky was receiving
2:05:23 > 2:05:25is simply called harassment.
2:05:26 > 2:05:29However, the harassment law is broad
2:05:29 > 2:05:31and includes all sorts of behaviour,
2:05:31 > 2:05:33like minor neighbourhood disputes.
2:05:36 > 2:05:40Vicky says this downplays the particular severity of stalking
2:05:40 > 2:05:43and some victims feel that it leads to their cases
2:05:43 > 2:05:46not being properly understood.
2:05:46 > 2:05:50Stalking victims say labelling what is happening to them as harassment
2:05:50 > 2:05:55is a serious shortcoming that's having an impact on their lives.
2:06:00 > 2:06:04Failure by police and prosecutors to identify patterns of stalking
2:06:04 > 2:06:08behaviour was a key finding in a Parliamentary report five years ago.
2:06:10 > 2:06:13It said that the harassment law was "not fit to protect
2:06:13 > 2:06:15"the victims of stalking".
2:06:17 > 2:06:19So the law was changed
2:06:19 > 2:06:22and in England, Scotland and Wales,
2:06:22 > 2:06:25stalking is a specific criminal offence.
2:06:27 > 2:06:30But it wasn't changed in Northern Ireland.
2:06:30 > 2:06:35The man who made that decision was former Justice Minister David Ford.
2:06:35 > 2:06:37There was certainly consideration of
2:06:37 > 2:06:39offences around stalking -
2:06:39 > 2:06:41the evidence that was available
2:06:41 > 2:06:46to me at the time was that existing offences covered what is in effect
2:06:46 > 2:06:49stalking and there was no need to name it specifically.
2:06:49 > 2:06:52There was no justification for prioritising it against all
2:06:52 > 2:06:54the other issues that we had to consider.
2:06:56 > 2:06:59Solicitor Ciaran Moynagh is concerned that the law has not been
2:06:59 > 2:07:02brought into line with the rest of the UK.
2:07:04 > 2:07:07Having stalking defined in law
2:07:07 > 2:07:09would shine a torch on that issue
2:07:09 > 2:07:11and that would focus, then...
2:07:11 > 2:07:13Victims would know they're actual victims,
2:07:13 > 2:07:17perpetrators would know what they're doing is unlawful
2:07:17 > 2:07:21and then the professional agencies would have tools
2:07:21 > 2:07:25and they'd be equipped to tackle the stalking specifically.
2:07:27 > 2:07:32When you raise the issue of stalking here, it's as if it doesn't exist.
2:07:32 > 2:07:38Stormont says it has no statistics for stalking-related convictions.
2:07:38 > 2:07:40There is no local research on the subject
2:07:40 > 2:07:44and there are no support groups for the victims of stalking.
2:07:44 > 2:07:47And that can leave them feeling abandoned.
2:07:47 > 2:07:49If you're a victim of stalking
2:07:49 > 2:07:51in Northern Ireland,
2:07:51 > 2:07:52then you aren't going to get
2:07:52 > 2:07:54justice, it's as simple as that.
2:07:54 > 2:07:55If you're a victim in England,
2:07:55 > 2:07:59although there are difficulties still, in terms of the police
2:07:59 > 2:08:03requiring training and all the rest of it, you've still got a far better
2:08:03 > 2:08:08chance of obtaining justice and the law is at least there to enable it.
2:08:08 > 2:08:11In Northern Ireland, even if the police WANT to do something,
2:08:11 > 2:08:15their hands are tied and they cannot prosecute for stalking.
2:08:16 > 2:08:19But David Ford says that just because the law doesn't
2:08:19 > 2:08:23mention stalking, it doesn't mean victims are not protected.
2:08:25 > 2:08:26Yes, exactly.
2:08:26 > 2:08:29I can certainly see how victims would see it that way.
2:08:29 > 2:08:33But when you look at the whole issue of the creation of an offence,
2:08:33 > 2:08:37you need to look at the balance of where existing offences fit,
2:08:37 > 2:08:40how they tie together the work of the different justice agencies,
2:08:40 > 2:08:43how they deal with it, as well as how victims feel.
2:08:43 > 2:08:46And those judgements are frequently complex.
2:08:50 > 2:08:54This is Margarette O'Donnell, a busy young mum of three from Coleraine.
2:08:56 > 2:08:59If she's not with the kids or doing voluntary work,
2:08:59 > 2:09:01she's often hard at it in the gym.
2:09:03 > 2:09:06She's come a long way from a horrifying ordeal that
2:09:06 > 2:09:09gripped her life when she was a teenager.
2:09:10 > 2:09:13I just remember walking down the road,
2:09:13 > 2:09:15this male voice from behind just...
2:09:15 > 2:09:17"Hello, nice day, isn't it?"
2:09:17 > 2:09:19Oh, it's a lovely day,
2:09:19 > 2:09:20great day, good to see it.
2:09:20 > 2:09:22And...
2:09:22 > 2:09:24He just continued to walk
2:09:24 > 2:09:26beside me and talk to me,
2:09:26 > 2:09:29though the way he talked changed.
2:09:29 > 2:09:31It changed from this friendly,
2:09:31 > 2:09:33to this sharp voice of...
2:09:33 > 2:09:37"I suppose you like a good screw? I suppose you like a good shag?"
2:09:37 > 2:09:39Um...
2:09:39 > 2:09:42"I bet your boyfriend likes a good shag?"
2:09:42 > 2:09:45And this is basically how he started to talk to me and
2:09:45 > 2:09:49he kind of got me unaware and I just froze, I didn't know what to say.
2:09:52 > 2:09:57The police were called, but couldn't find him. He appeared
2:09:57 > 2:10:00sporadically over months, mostly turning up at her work.
2:10:02 > 2:10:03Never seen this person before.
2:10:05 > 2:10:07He just came from out of the blue
2:10:07 > 2:10:10and became the scary character that...
2:10:10 > 2:10:12hunted me, for years.
2:10:12 > 2:10:15That's the only way I can think to put it.
2:10:19 > 2:10:23I really didn't realise how much of...
2:10:26 > 2:10:28..our lives that it had taken over,
2:10:28 > 2:10:30it's only when you talk about it now.
2:10:32 > 2:10:35Scared to go out, Margarette spent much of her time in her
2:10:35 > 2:10:38bedroom and the stress took its toll,
2:10:38 > 2:10:41not just on her, but on her family,
2:10:41 > 2:10:43and especially her mum.
2:10:44 > 2:10:47I was obsessed with how you'd know
2:10:47 > 2:10:49that anything would happen to her.
2:10:51 > 2:10:54What did you worry that he was capable of?
2:10:54 > 2:10:56Could he murder her?
2:10:56 > 2:10:57Could he rape her?
2:10:57 > 2:11:00Would she disappear and never be seen again?
2:11:05 > 2:11:08Though Margarette didn't suffer any physical harm,
2:11:08 > 2:11:13part of her trauma stemmed from having no idea who her stalker was,
2:11:13 > 2:11:14or why he was doing it.
2:11:16 > 2:11:20Nobody could protect me, this man was so powerful.
2:11:20 > 2:11:22And I was powerless.
2:11:22 > 2:11:24You try everything to make yourself safe,
2:11:24 > 2:11:26but he could have done anything.
2:11:34 > 2:11:38When the stalking stopped, she just wanted to move on with her life,
2:11:38 > 2:11:41rather than cope with the psychological trauma
2:11:41 > 2:11:42it had left behind.
2:11:44 > 2:11:49But last year, as a result of other problems she was experiencing,
2:11:49 > 2:11:51she found herself struggling with depression.
2:11:53 > 2:11:56In November, she decided to take her own life
2:11:56 > 2:11:58here at Ramore Head.
2:11:58 > 2:12:01What was it like being here that day?
2:12:01 > 2:12:04I had this day planned, like...
2:12:04 > 2:12:05I knew when I dropped the kids off,
2:12:05 > 2:12:08that would be the last time I'd see them.
2:12:08 > 2:12:10I didn't want to live, I didn't...
2:12:10 > 2:12:13I just wanted everything to end, the pain to end.
2:12:15 > 2:12:18Margarette was ready to jump,
2:12:18 > 2:12:21but a passer-by intervened.
2:12:22 > 2:12:26Looking back, it's been hard for her to realise how big a part
2:12:26 > 2:12:28stalking played in her depression.
2:12:30 > 2:12:33I don't think it's never going to leave me, like...
2:12:33 > 2:12:35But I feel stronger.
2:12:37 > 2:12:42And I don't... I don't have the same fear as I would have had.
2:12:46 > 2:12:48What about him?
2:12:48 > 2:12:50Are you still afraid of him?
2:12:56 > 2:12:57I'm not afraid of him.
2:12:57 > 2:13:00I've been afraid of what he did.
2:13:01 > 2:13:06There was never any justice for what he did and I was never confident...
2:13:07 > 2:13:09..that he would never do it again.
2:13:11 > 2:13:15I've basically lived my life... Even though he hasn't been around,
2:13:15 > 2:13:17I've lived my life with a stalker.
2:13:20 > 2:13:2528% of stalking victims consider taking their own lives.
2:13:26 > 2:13:29Today, Margarette is now determined to help others
2:13:29 > 2:13:32facing similar trauma.
2:13:34 > 2:13:37We contacted Margarette's stalker and put to him
2:13:37 > 2:13:39the allegations she has made.
2:13:39 > 2:13:41In a letter, his solicitor confirmed
2:13:41 > 2:13:45this man was interviewed by police about these matters
2:13:45 > 2:13:48in 2003, but was never charged
2:13:48 > 2:13:50and the case was dropped.
2:13:50 > 2:13:54He said the man denies causing any form of harassment to Margarette.
2:13:56 > 2:14:00Since the introduction of the new stalking law in England and Wales,
2:14:00 > 2:14:04prosecutions for it and other forms of harassment have risen.
2:14:05 > 2:14:09David Ford says that it may be necessary to look at the law again.
2:14:16 > 2:14:19There is clearly evidence showing what has happened in England
2:14:19 > 2:14:22and Wales, we need to look to see exactly what the comparisons
2:14:22 > 2:14:25would be with Northern Ireland, but it's certainly something
2:14:25 > 2:14:27which appears to merit looking at it again.
2:14:27 > 2:14:30So we've been seeking to ensure that Northern Ireland law
2:14:30 > 2:14:32meets Northern Ireland needs and maybe on some occasions,
2:14:32 > 2:14:36information comes to light two or three years down the line which
2:14:36 > 2:14:39suggests we need to examine it. This may well be one of those cases.
2:14:42 > 2:14:45Brenda lives every single day under siege.
2:14:47 > 2:14:50I tend to go to shops that have cameras in them.
2:14:51 > 2:14:53Constantly checking the doors,
2:14:53 > 2:14:55constantly looking out the window.
2:14:55 > 2:14:57I'm surrounded by security everywhere.
2:14:57 > 2:15:01CCTV, panic buttons up and downstairs, um...
2:15:03 > 2:15:05Alarm systems.
2:15:07 > 2:15:10For Brenda, who didn't want her face shown,
2:15:10 > 2:15:15her stalking nightmare began 14 years ago.
2:15:15 > 2:15:20A man she had briefly dated began following her and making threats.
2:15:20 > 2:15:23Twice, he tried to run her over in his car.
2:15:25 > 2:15:30To get away from him, Brenda left Northern Ireland.
2:15:30 > 2:15:32A decade later and now a mum,
2:15:32 > 2:15:35she returned and it all began again.
2:15:42 > 2:15:46In 2012, she took and paid for her own case to get a temporary
2:15:46 > 2:15:49court order to stop her stalker coming near her.
2:15:49 > 2:15:51But that didn't work.
2:15:54 > 2:15:59And in 2013, he showed his total disregard for the court process.
2:16:01 > 2:16:04I was sitting in the house, it was around 10.00, 10.30 at night
2:16:04 > 2:16:07and the door knocked. So...
2:16:07 > 2:16:11At this stage now, we all know, the stalker's on the go.
2:16:11 > 2:16:12Let me in.
2:16:12 > 2:16:16I opened the blind and looked out, and it was him.
2:16:16 > 2:16:19He started doing the sign of a gun at his head.
2:16:19 > 2:16:23And I lifted my son off the sofa, called the cops.
2:16:23 > 2:16:24He's at the door, he's back.
2:16:24 > 2:16:28Police charged him with criminal damage and threats to kill.
2:16:32 > 2:16:36Last year, Brenda's stalker was deemed mentally unfit to
2:16:36 > 2:16:38stand criminal trial and released,
2:16:38 > 2:16:41pending psychiatric reports.
2:16:45 > 2:16:48Despite bail conditions, within weeks of being in court,
2:16:48 > 2:16:51he was back at Brenda's door.
2:16:51 > 2:16:55She called the police, but by the time they arrived, he had gone.
2:16:57 > 2:17:00Lo and behold, this time, the police are at my house, there's an officer
2:17:00 > 2:17:03with me and the door knocked whilst I was giving him my statement.
2:17:05 > 2:17:06And it was the stalker.
2:17:08 > 2:17:10Out the way!
2:17:10 > 2:17:13He pushed the cop out the way and got into my house
2:17:13 > 2:17:16and he was standing in my house with the cops now wrestling with him,
2:17:16 > 2:17:19screaming, "Will you marry me?" at like, 5.00 in the morning.
2:17:19 > 2:17:21He had to be dragged out of my house by the cops
2:17:21 > 2:17:25- and physically restrained to be handcuffed.- What are you doing?
2:17:25 > 2:17:28Her stalker appeared before the magistrates' court,
2:17:28 > 2:17:30but was - again - let out on bail.
2:17:37 > 2:17:41But just days later, he was back at Brenda's door once more.
2:17:45 > 2:17:48This time, he was jailed for several months,
2:17:48 > 2:17:50but he is now out of prison.
2:17:51 > 2:17:55Brenda says jailing him for breaching bail conditions
2:17:55 > 2:17:59and not for his stalking was, in her words, "a joke".
2:18:00 > 2:18:03It's laughable. There's no...
2:18:03 > 2:18:05It in no way makes you feel safe, it in no way makes you
2:18:05 > 2:18:07feel like someone is going to stand up and say,
2:18:07 > 2:18:10"Look, we know everything he's doing here is wrong,
2:18:10 > 2:18:13"we understand what it has done to your life, we understand
2:18:13 > 2:18:16and we're going to do something about it.
2:18:16 > 2:18:17Because they don't.
2:18:18 > 2:18:23Her stalker is now under another order not to approach Brenda,
2:18:23 > 2:18:26and receiving treatment for what the court was told
2:18:26 > 2:18:27is paranoid psychosis.
2:18:31 > 2:18:34Brenda's case is complicated by the fact this man is
2:18:34 > 2:18:38mentally ill and there's a limit to what the criminal justice system
2:18:38 > 2:18:41can do to punish and restrain him.
2:18:41 > 2:18:44But she says he IS still a stalker and should be named
2:18:44 > 2:18:47and treated as such and she believes that
2:18:47 > 2:18:50if he'd been charged with stalking, it would have focused the minds
2:18:50 > 2:18:54of prosecutors on how to deal with him at a much earlier stage.
2:18:54 > 2:18:57It's left her frustrated and very angry.
2:19:03 > 2:19:05I'm always waiting for him to come back.
2:19:05 > 2:19:08How am I ever supposed to think he's not going to come back?
2:19:11 > 2:19:13We contacted Brenda's stalker through his solicitor
2:19:13 > 2:19:16to put Brenda's allegations to him.
2:19:16 > 2:19:20He said he did not wish to participate in the programme.
2:19:23 > 2:19:27We asked the PSNI and the Public Prosecution Service to
2:19:27 > 2:19:32talk about the women's concerns over the existing law in particular,
2:19:32 > 2:19:35and their claims the authorities are failing to build cases
2:19:35 > 2:19:37that convict stalkers.
2:19:38 > 2:19:41Both declined to be interviewed.
2:19:41 > 2:19:43But in statements, they said,
2:19:43 > 2:19:46"While there's no specific offence of stalking here,
2:19:46 > 2:19:50"this form of conduct may be covered by other types of legislation
2:19:50 > 2:19:53"and they can seek to use restraining orders."
2:19:53 > 2:19:57The police said they're committed to keeping people safe and no victim
2:19:57 > 2:20:01should ever feel their complaints are not being taken seriously.
2:20:01 > 2:20:03They acknowledge victims' issues about treating
2:20:03 > 2:20:05incidents in isolation,
2:20:05 > 2:20:09but pointed out if a complete offence has been committed, they are
2:20:09 > 2:20:14obliged to investigate this rather than waiting for another incident.
2:20:15 > 2:20:20The PPS said stalking is a complex issue and rejected any assertion
2:20:20 > 2:20:25they avoid taking stalking-type cases forward using existing laws.
2:20:28 > 2:20:30Vicky Clarke has come to Stormont.
2:20:30 > 2:20:34Her stalker has recently signed a court undertaking agreeing not
2:20:34 > 2:20:39to go near her. But her campaign to change the law continues.
2:20:40 > 2:20:43Today, she's meeting MLA Brenda Hale.
2:20:44 > 2:20:47We need to put a very, very clear message out there,
2:20:47 > 2:20:49that actually, you cannot stalk,
2:20:49 > 2:20:51you cannot make people's lives hell.
2:20:51 > 2:20:54What she has been through and what her family have been through
2:20:54 > 2:20:57and her friends, and yet there seems to be no help or
2:20:57 > 2:21:01assistance from the justice system or the PSNI.
2:21:01 > 2:21:05Brenda Hale plans to bring a Private Member's Bill
2:21:05 > 2:21:07to address the gap in the law.
2:21:07 > 2:21:11Today, the new Justice Minister said extending the provisions here
2:21:11 > 2:21:14is something she'd be willing to consider.
2:21:14 > 2:21:17But for women who have felt hunted for years,
2:21:17 > 2:21:19a change will come too late.