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Produced by the Sentencing Academy

Stalking

Snapshot 25

Bringing together relevant information, research findings and statistics relating to sentencing.

by Annalena Wolcke

Published: 1 Aug 2025
Last updated: Aug 2025

Overview

  • Stalking:
    • Sentencing Council guideline range: discharge to a 26-weeks prison sentence
    • Maximum sentence: 6-months’ imprisonment
    • Aggravating factor: racially or religiously aggravated stalking (maximum sentence of 2-years’ imprisonment)
  • Stalking (fear of violence or serious alarm or distress):
    • Sentencing Council guideline range: fine to an 8-year prison sentence
    • Maximum sentence: 10-years’ imprisonment
    • Aggravating factor: racially or religiously aggravated stalking (maximum sentence of 14-years’ imprisonment)
  • Breach of a stalking protection order:
    • Sentencing Council guideline range: fine to a 4-year prison sentence
    • Maximum sentence: 5-years’ imprisonment
  • Convictions steadily increased over the last 10 years, from 700 convictions in 2015 to over 2,700 in 2024
  • This snapshot summarises key trends over the past 5 years

Sentences Imposed

Figure 1: Sentences for Stalking, 2020-2024

  • Almost 30% of convictions resulted in a term of immediate imprisonment.1
  • A further 35% resulted in a community order.2

Figure 2: Sentences Imposed for Stalking, 2020-2024

  • The custody rate for stalking increased slightly over the last 5 years.

Immediate Prison Sentence Lengths

Figure 3: Prison Sentence Lengths, Stalking, 2020–2024

  • The most frequent sentence range is up to 12 months, accounting for over 60% of all immediate custodial sentences.
  • Approximately 37% of prison sentences are over 12 months.

Sentencing Outcomes by Sex

Figure 4: Sentencing Outcomes by Sex, Stalking, 2020-2024

  • Female (n=598); Male (n=8,774)
  • Between 2020-2024, the custody rate for stalking was higher for men (31%) than for women (13%).

These rates do not account for various factors that influence sentencing decisions, such as the offender’s criminal history and the seriousness of the specific offence. Additional research would be needed to determine whether gender affected the sentence imposed.

This Snapshot is one of a series on sentencing trends in England & Wales. Others can be found here. For further information, contact Annalena Wolcke at a.wolcke@sentencingacademy.org.uk

  1. Data source for all figures: Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly December 2024, published 15th of May 2025. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2024 ↩︎
  2. ‘Other sanctions’ include: compensation, discharges, and the category ‘otherwise dealt with’ ↩︎