Gracie Spinks death: Petition calls for stalking law change

Gracie Spinks was "horsey mad" according to friends, and loved her horse Paddy

A petition calling for stricter punishments for stalkers has been set up in the name of Gracie Spinks, who was found dead in Derbyshire.

The 23-year-old was discovered fatally injured in a field where she had gone to look after her horse.

Friends say she had been stalked by former colleague Michael Sellers, who was found dead shortly afterwards.

The petition calls for "Gracie's Law" to help protect people who report stalking to police.

Ms Spinks had previously contacted Derbyshire Police to complain about Sellers.

The force has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), saying this was because it "had contact with Gracie earlier this year".

'Let's protect future women'

The Gracie's Law petition has the support of Ms Spinks' family.

In a Facebook post sharing details of the petition, Ms Spinks' mother wrote: "My beautiful daughter's death can't be for nothing. Let's protect future women."

More than £12,000 has been raised to care for Paddy

The petition was set up by nurse Jackie Barnett-Wheatcroft, who was stalked herself as a teenager.

"After hearing about Gracie and the tragic circumstances in which she passed away it just angered me," she said.

"We need harsher laws around stalking, and violence in general."

Mrs Barnett-Wheatcroft wants all people accused of stalking to be questioned by police and warned to stay away from the victim. If they do not stay away, she wants them to be tagged.

"The victim would have an app given to them by the police that corresponds with that tag, so they would get an alert if the stalker is within a certain distance," she said.

Gracie Spinks was found injured in a field and died at the scene

Ms Spinks was found injured in a field near Staveley Road in Duckmanton at about 08:40 BST on Friday 18 June. Paramedics attended but she died at the scene.

Sellers, who was 35 and from Sheffield, was found dead in a field off Tom Lane, Duckmanton, at about 11:00 BST the same day.

'Missed greatly'

Staff at Xbite Ltd, an e-commerce company in Chesterfield where Ms Spinks worked, said they were "deeply shocked and saddened" by her death.

"She was a friendly, well liked young woman who will be missed greatly by those that had the pleasure of meeting her," the company said in a statement.

"Our thoughts are with her family and friends during this extremely difficult time."

Flowers in tribute to Gracie Spinks have been left near to where she died

Mrs Barnett-Wheatcroft said she already had more than 800 signatures just from paper petitions distributed locally, and was in the process of setting up an online petition.

She also has an appointment to discuss the petition with her MP, Toby Perkins.

Mr Perkins, the Labour MP for Chesterfield, said he had spoken to police "several times" about Ms Spinks' death.

"I can assure everyone that I will do all I can to make sure that the full facts about everything concerning this are investigated and nothing is swept under the carpet," he said.

"The issue of violence against women is a very prominent one just now, and this incident will further amplify the calls for more to be done to protect victims of violence and stalking and ensure that the law, and the forces of law and order, are more forcefully on the side of victims and protect them before offences are committed."

Police said in a statement: "We can confirm that the force has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) because we had contact with Gracie earlier this year.

"We are not able to release any further information about the case, but we can confirm there was no criminal restraining order in place."