James Grundy MP has written to the Home Secretary to urge her to implement Nikita’s Law, a proposal that will make stalking a standalone offence in law.
Earlier this year, the Leigh MP met with a local resident, Miss Nikita Rogers, who had been the victim of a horrendous stalking ordeal carried out by a complete stranger.
In early 2019, Miss Rogers noticed that she was being followed by a stranger, which later progressed to herself and her children being subject to verbal abuse, physical violence and even death threats.
After reporting these incidents on multiple occasions to the police, the individual was finally arrested and charged under harassment law, however due to gaps in the current legislation, the stalking was able to continue as the perpetrator was released on bail with no means of preventing further contact.
The individual was also placed at a day release mental health facility just 0.5 miles from the victim’s home and was able to leave the facility unsupervised, which resulted in further attempts to contact Miss Rogers and place her family at extreme risk.
Nikita’s Law, named after the victim Miss Rogers, calls for stalking to become a standalone offence and close the legal gaps that leave victims of stalking immensely vulnerable.
A standalone stalking law has already been successfully passed into law in Scotland and Miss Rogers now continues the national campaign for this to be made into law across the rest of the United Kingdom, which local MP James Grundy has now fully backed.
Speaking about his letter to the Home Secretary, Mr Grundy said: “When I met with Miss Rogers earlier this year, I was shocked and appalled to learn of her horrendous ordeal and the failures of the law that allowed her and her children to continue to be stalked.
“Her fight to change the law to make stalking a standalone offence and protect victims of stalking across the country for years to come is inspirational and upon hearing of her case, I wanted to take action.
“This is why I have written to the Home Secretary, to urge the Government to introduce Nikita’s Law and ensure that situations like Miss Rogers’ can never happen again.”
Talking about her experience, Miss Rogers said: “I endured months of torture, ranging from verbal abuse, threats of physical violence, rape, a threat to kidnap my little daughter and feed her to the sharks, gestures of my throat being cut, being followed, watched and having bottles being thrown at me and my young children when I ventured out of my house.
"At one point, I had to cover my son to protect him from the shards of glass, yet even after he was sectioned, I’d come face to face with him in my local shop.
“I want to make sure the gaps in the law are fixed to ensure victims of stalking are fully protected from the terrible suffering it causes and I’m pleased that James Grundy MP is helping me in my fight for action.”