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<p /> <p>I am replying as the Ministry of Justice has overall responsibility for
this legislation. The Government is absolutely clear that stalking and harassment,
which cause misery for victims, are totally unacceptable. That is why in 2012 we added
to the existing offences in the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 (harassment (section
2) and putting people in fear of violence (section 4)) two new specific offences of
stalking (section 2A) and stalking involving fear of violence or serious alarm or
distress (section 4A).</p><p> </p><p>The 1997 Act also gives the courts the option,
upon conviction or acquittal for an offence under it, of making a restraining order
for the purpose of protecting the victim of an offence, or any other person mentioned
in the order, from conduct that amounts to harassment or that will cause fear of violence.
Breach of such an order is a criminal offence carrying a maximum sentence of five
years in prison, or a fine, or both.</p><p> </p><p>The number of offenders convicted
on one, two, or three or more occasions, in each of the last five years for which
data is available, of breaching a restraining order can be viewed in the table below.
These figures have been drawn from an extract of the Police National Computer (PNC)
data held by the Department. The PNC holds details of all convictions and cautions
given for recordable offences. As with any large scale recording system the PNC is
subject to possible errors with data entry and processing so data provided may be
subject to revision.<br></p><p> </p><p /> <p> </p><p /><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="4"><p><strong>Number
of offenders breaching restraining orders<sup>1</sup>, England and Wales<sup>2</sup></strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>
</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>
</strong></p></td><td colspan="3"><p><strong>Number of restraining order breach offences<sup>3</sup></strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>12
months ending September<sup>4</sup></strong></p></td><td><p><strong>1</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>3
or more</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010</p></td><td><p>1,655</p></td><td><p>211</p></td><td><p>71</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011</p></td><td><p>2,738</p></td><td><p>456</p></td><td><p>138</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>3,638</p></td><td><p>607</p></td><td><p>216</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013</p></td><td><p>4,086</p></td><td><p>710</p></td><td><p>221</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014</p></td><td><p>4,822</p></td><td><p>767</p></td><td><p>244</p></td></tr><tr><td
colspan="3"><p><strong>Data Source</strong>: MoJs copy of the Police National Computer</p></td><td><p>
</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p><sup>1.</sup>
Includes offences covered by:</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td
colspan="4"><p>- Breach of a restraining order under s5 of the Protection from Harassment
Act 1997</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="4"><p>- Breach of restraining Order under s5A
of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 (Sexual Offences Prevention Orders replaced restraining
orders under s.5A Sex Offenders Act 1997. However, it is possible for cases to still
appear where an offender is subject to one of the orders that pre-date the Sexual
Offences Act 2003)</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="4"><p>- Breach of a restraining order
on acquittal under s.5A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997</p></td></tr><tr><td
colspan="2"><p><sup>2.</sup> England and Wales includes all 43 police force areas
and the British Transport Police</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td
colspan="4"><p><sup>3.</sup> Where the primary offence on a given occasion was a restraining
order breach offence.</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="4"><p><sup>4.</sup> The same offender
may appear in multiple years.</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p /> <p>The number
of restraining orders issued and sentences given for breaches of restraining orders,
from 2009 to 2013 (the latest available) in England and Wales, can be viewed in the
table below. These figures are taken from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) court proceedings
database.</p><p> </p><p /> <p><strong>Number of restraining orders issued and sentences
given for breaches of restraining orders, England & Wales, 2009 to 2013<sup>(1)(2)</sup></strong></p><p
/> <p /><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>2009</p></td><td><p>2010</p></td><td><p>2011</p></td><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>2013</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>
</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>
</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Offenders issued with a restraining order<sup>(3)(4)(5)</sup></p></td><td><p>5,074</p></td><td><p>10,761</p></td><td><p>19,551</p></td><td><p>20,067</p></td><td><p>20,304</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>
</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>
</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Offenders convicted for breaching a restraining order</p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Convicted</p></td><td><p>1,464</p></td><td><p>2,920</p></td><td><p>4,558</p></td><td><p>5,699</p></td><td><p>6,337</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Sentenced</p></td><td><p>1,329</p></td><td><p>2,798</p></td><td><p>4,431</p></td><td><p>5,608</p></td><td><p>6,194</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Immediate
custody</p></td><td><p>457</p></td><td><p>904</p></td><td><p>1,594</p></td><td><p>2,101</p></td><td><p>2,236</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Suspended
sentence</p></td><td><p>178</p></td><td><p>381</p></td><td><p>507</p></td><td><p>667</p></td><td><p>822</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Community
sentence</p></td><td><p>371</p></td><td><p>779</p></td><td><p>1,299</p></td><td><p>1,461</p></td><td><p>1,563</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Fine</p></td><td><p>141</p></td><td><p>321</p></td><td><p>469</p></td><td><p>705</p></td><td><p>847</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Absolute
discharge</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>15</p></td><td><p>19</p></td><td><p>28</p></td><td><p>40</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Conditional
discharge</p></td><td><p>93</p></td><td><p>237</p></td><td><p>385</p></td><td><p>462</p></td><td><p>469</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Otherwise
dealt with</p></td><td><p>84</p></td><td><p>161</p></td><td><p>158</p></td><td><p>184</p></td><td><p>217</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p /><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="6"><p>(1) The figures given in the table relate
to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were
dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the
offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed
for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory
maximum penalty is the most severe.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="6"><p>(2)
Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete.
However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative
data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should
be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are
taken into account when those data are used.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td
colspan="6"><p>(3) Includes restraining orders issued on conviction or acquittal.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>
</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>
</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><p>(4) Issued under either S.5 Protection from Harassment
Act 1997 or S.5A Sex Offenders Act 1997.</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="6"><p>(5) Sexual
Offences Prevention Orders replaced restraining orders under s.5A Sex Offenders Act
1997 and Sex Offender Orders under s.2 Crime and Disorder Act 1998. However, it is
possible for cases to still appear where an offender is subject to one of the orders
that pre-date the Sexual Offences Act 2003.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Source:
Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PQ: 226457</p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table><p
/> <p /> <p>Court proceedings data for 2014 are planned for publication in May 2015.</p><p>
</p><p>Figures taken from the PNC database will differ from figures taken from the
MoJ court proceedings database. Hence, police recorded crime and court proceedings
data are not directly comparable.</p><p> </p><p>As the Violence Against Women and
Girls Report (Home Office, 2015) notes: “Increases in reporting of domestic abuse
incidents indicate that victims have more confidence in the criminal justice system.
Prosecutions for domestic abuse have increased while out of court disposals for domestic
abuse at the pre-charge stage have reached their lowest levels, and we have seen increases
in the volume of prosecutions and conviction rate for all VAWG offences. These figures
are showing that not only are victims more confident in coming forward – the criminal
justice system is delivering improved outcomes for them.”</p>
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