A spokesperson for the National Stalking Consortium said: “Shana Grice’s death at the hand of her stalker Michael Lane is all the more tragic because it might have been prevented.
“We welcome Lane’s conviction today and hope that it gives some small comfort to Shana’s family and loved-ones, who have suffered such a terrible loss.
“If police officers had been given comprehensive training in how to identify the signs of stalking they might have been able to prevent her death because they would have been able to identify the motives behind Lane’s behaviour as well as just the behaviour itself. Instead Shana was fined for wasting police time by making a false crime report.
“This appalling case brings into sharp focus the urgent need for specialist stalking services to be rolled out across the country and for comprehensive training to be provided.
“We hear complaints like Shana’s all the time on the National Stalking Helpline. Sadly, Shana’s story is far from isolated, yet fewer than one per cent of reported stalking cases result in a conviction and that just isn’t good enough.
“One in five women and one in 10 men will be victims of stalking in their lifetime and everyone should be confident that when they report stalking behaviour to the police that they are taken seriously.”