'New stalking powers would reduce suffering'

Abby Furness, 25, was targeted by a man who made fake social media accounts and spread lies about her online

A woman from Brighton who was stalked online said she would not have suffered for as long as she did if new government guidance had been in force during her ordeal.

Abby Furness was targeted by a man who created fake social media accounts to spread lies about her.

Ms Furness said she became paranoid when police would not tell her the identity of the man, adding: "You literally accuse everyone. I accused my family, my best friends, people at school. If someone looked at me in the street I would think it’s them.”

The 25-year-old has welcomed ministers’ proposals for "right to know" statutory guidance, which aims to give officers powers to reveal the identity of online stalkers more quickly.

“I think in my situation it would have changed the whole scenario. I wouldn’t have suffered for as long as I did,” she said.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said the government will use "every tool available" to take power away from abusers.

Stalking Protection Orders - which can ban alleged stalkers from contacting or being within a certain distance of their victims - will also be made more widely available.

The Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner, Katy Bourne, who was stalked herself for five years, has welcomed the new measures but says there is more to do for police forces and other agencies.

She said: “Agencies are going to be sharing data better together and that’s got to be a good thing for victims of stalking who very often fall between the cracks because a bit of information vitally is held by one organisation and not another and they don’t share it.”