‘I am scared to go into the garden’: Stalking victims reveal horror of lockdown as reports rise

‘Since lockdown, I ensure all curtains are closed early and I don’t check if he is there because I am so scared,’ stalking victim tells The Independent

Reports to the UK’s leading anti-stalking charity have soared during the Covid-19 emergency – with contact from stalking victims doubling during the lockdown (Getty/iStock)

“I was already living in lockdown as a stalking victim,” Amrita* tells The Independent. “My life was so restricted already. But now I feel like I am living in prison. I can’t invite friends over or do the little things I used to do to get by.”

Reports to the UK’s leading anti-stalking charity have soared during the Covid-19 emergency – with contact from stalking victims doubling during the lockdown.

Paladin, which carries out risk assessments on stalking victims before advocating on their behalf to the police, had an average of 120 stalking victims getting in touch each week ahead of the coronavirus outbreak but this has risen to 254 per week in the wake of the lockdown.