'˜Change is coming'for stalking victims

John Clough visited the House of Lords to talk about his proposals to introduce a stalker’s register that would keep track of those convicted of stalking – similar to the Sex Offender’s Register.

He met the Shadow Leader of the House of Lords, Janet Royall, minister Susan Williams, and criminal behaviour analyst Laura Richards in Parliament.

Writing on Twitter, he said: “I have never felt more optimistic that the register will happen after today’s meeting.” He promised: “Change is coming!”

Mr Clough’s 26-year-old daughter, Jane (inset), was killed by her ex-boyfriend Jonathan Vass in July 2010.

Vass, who had been bailed following his arrest for multiple counts of rape and assault, followed Jane to Blackpool Victoria Hospital and repeatedly stabbed her. Described in court as “manipulative and controlling,” he was jailed for 30 years for Jane’s murder.

In the wake of her death, and the death of another woman, 20-year-old Kirsty Treloar, who was also killed by a violent boyfriend, in Hackney in 2012, a petition was set up online calling on the government to create the stalker’s register. Launched by Mr Clough and Kirsty’s mother Pamela Dabney, it has 
been signed more than 150,000 times.

They wrote: “People with a history of stalking are as dangerous as sex offenders and there needs to be tracking and monitoring of them.

“We need to act now to save lives by protecting women from serial stalkers 
and domestic violence perpetrators by introducing a register.”