Councillor unhappy with reply

A Cork County councillor who recently called for change in Ireland’s existing legislation surrounding stalking has said she is not satisfied with the Government’s response to the issue.

Last month, West Cork Cllr Deirdre Kelly (FF) said stalking needs to be defined as a standalone crime in Ireland, separate to harassment.

“The terms stalking and harassment are sometimes used interchangeably but they can be significantly different,” she said.

However, responding to the councillor’s calls this week, the Department of Justice said following an in-depth examination of the current offence of harassment, it was clear that stalking behaviour is already encompassed in the current offence of harassment under section 10 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997.

Speaking at a meeting of Cork County Council on Monday, Cllr Kelly said the response was not satisfactory at all and that she would be liaising with other councils throughout the country who are voicing similar concerns.