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Produced by the Sentencing Academy

Snapshot 25

Stalking

Bringing together relevant statistics and trends relating to sentencing

by Annalena Wolcke

Last updated: Sep 2026

Overview

  • Stalking:
    • Sentencing Council guideline range: discharge to a 26-weeks prison sentence
    • Maximum sentence: 6-months’ imprisonment
    • Aggravating factor: racially or religiously aggravated stalking (maximum sentence of 2-years’ imprisonment)
  • Stalking (fear of violence or serious alarm or distress):
    • Sentencing Council guideline range: fine to an 8-year prison sentence
    • Maximum sentence: 10-years’ imprisonment
    • Aggravating factor: racially or religiously aggravated stalking (maximum sentence of 14-years’ imprisonment)
  • Breach of a stalking protection order:
    • Sentencing Council guideline range: fine to a 4-year prison sentence
    • Maximum sentence: 5-years’ imprisonment
  • Convictions in 2025: 3,409
  • This snapshot summarises key trends over the past 5 years

Sentences Imposed

Figure 1: Sentences for Stalking, 2021-2025

  • Almost 40% of convictions resulted in a term of immediate imprisonment.1
  • A further 35% resulted in a Suspended Sentence Order.2

Figure 2: Sentences Imposed for Stalking, 2021-2025

  • The custody rate for stalking increased by around 11% over the last 5 years.

Immediate Prison Sentence Lengths

Figure 3: Prison Sentence Lengths, Stalking, 2025

  • The most frequent sentence range is between 1 and 2 years, accounting for almost 30% of all immediate custodial sentences.
  • Approximately 26% of prison sentences are over 2 years.

Sentencing Outcomes by Sex

Figure 4: Sentencing Outcomes by Sex, Stalking, 2025

  • Female (n=256); Male (n=3,076)
  • In 2025, the custody rate for stalking was higher for men (42%) than for women (14%), whereas women received Community Orders at higher rates than men (33% vs. 18%).

These rates do not account for various factors that influence sentencing decisions, such as the offender’s criminal history and the seriousness of the specific offence. Additional research would be needed to determine whether gender affected the sentence imposed.

This Snapshot is one of a series on sentencing trends in England & Wales. Others can be found here. For further information, contact Annalena Wolcke at [email protected]

  1. For all figures: Data calculated from Ministry of Justice (2026), Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly: December 2025, published 30th of April. Outcomes by offence data tool, Table 2. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly-december-2025. ↩︎
  2. ‘Other sanctions’ include: compensation, discharges, and the category ‘otherwise dealt with’ ↩︎