Maria Bond met her victim in 1997, following which she stalked him – sending letters and attending his home address – over nearly thirty years. She was charged with stalking causing serious alarm and distress, and two breaches of a restraining order imposed in 2015.
The defendant had been convicted of 13 previous breaches of the restraining order in similar circumstances. Ms Bond pleaded guilty to the charges on the day of trial, following which psychiatric reports were commissioned to ascertain the current state of her mental health, and the correct sentence or other disposal. At sentence the victim attended to read his Victim Impact Statement, referring to his feelings of being ‘trapped, powerless, and anxious’.
The prosecution assisted the judge with the framework for sentencing defendants with profound and enduring mental health issues, and the possible disposals under s.37 (Hospital Order), s.41 (Restriction – release only on authority of MOJ or First Tier Tribunal) or s.45A (prison sentence to be served in hospital).
The judge concluded that the aims of treating the defendant and protecting the public were best served by the imposition of a Hospital Order with Restriction (s.37/41).
More detail about the case can be found in an article published in The Times (subject to a paywall).
Simon Ralph was instructed by Tracy Mesmain at the Crown Prosecution Service.
