‘Sentence given to the man who stalked me for 19 years is an insult’
A VICTIMS commissioner whose stalker walked free from court despite terrorising her for 19 years has branded his sentence an “insult”.
Claire Waxman called for an urgent review of anti-stalking laws after her tormentor, ex-TV producer Elliot Fogel was jailed for 16 months.
Fogel was released immediately, due to the time he spent behind bars awaiting trial.
The 47-year-old has breached a lifetime ban on contacting Ms Waxman six times.
Harrow Crown Court heard he was first handed a restraining order in 2005 after a stalking campaign that included turning up at her home and work, repeated phone calls, breaking into her car and searching for her name online 40,000 times.
He even posed as a prospective parent at her child’s nursery.
Ms Waxman said victims like her are treated “appallingly” by the criminal justice system, which fails to take stalking “seriously enough”.
She called for automatic increases in sentences for offenders who repeatedly flout restraining orders.
She added: “I fought to get my rights. I got them because I can advocate for myself and I know what I should be entitled to. But no victim coming into the system’s going to know that.” Ms Waxman described stalking as “psychological terror” and has post traumatic stress disorder as a result.
“It is so invasive to all parts of your life,” she told BBC Newsnight. “The safety plans that had to be put in place for the children, their schools, my workplace and all the things I have to consider again. ”
She does not believe the sentence will stop Fogel, adding:
“I don’t think what’s just happened to him would be a deterrent...and I feel more vulnerable, more exposed.
“Nobody is fighting for the victim.
“The police are there to investigate, the CPS to prosecute. Victims’ needs are very much an afterthought.”
The Home Office said it takes stalking “extremely seriously”. It has raised the maximum sentence to 10 years, increased funding for victims, and will make tech firms address stalking content via the Online Safety Bill. The Daily Express is backing calls for public sexual harassment to be made a specific criminal offence through the Keep Women Safe On Our Streets crusade.