Stalking is an Offence in Singapore

Stalking is an offence in Singapore. Section 7 of the Protection from Harassment Act provides “No person shall unlawfully stalk another person”.

What is Stalking?

Stalking is a course of conduct or a series of actions intended, or which would be reasonably likely, to cause harassment, alarm or distress to the victim.

Section 7 of the Protection from Harassment Act provides examples of acts associated with stalking:
(a) following the victim;

(b) making any communication, or attempting to make any communication, by any means —
(i) to the victim;
(ii) relating or purporting to relate to the victim; or
(iii) purporting to originate from the victim;

(c) entering or loitering in any place (whether public or private) outside or near the victim’s place of residence or place of business or any other place frequented by the victim;

(d)interfering with property in the possession of the victim (whether or not the accused person has an interest in the property);

(e) giving or sending material to the victim, or leaving it where it will be found by, given to or brought to the attention of, the victim;

(f) keeping the victim under surveillance.

Stalking is also committed if any of the forms of behaviour specified are done to a person related to the victim, defined as “a person about whose safety or well‑being the victim would reasonably be expected to be seriously concerned”.

 

Illustrations

Section 7 of the Protection from Harassment Act provides helpful illustrations.

These acts are acts associated with stalking of X by Y:
(a) Y repeatedly sends emails to Y’s subordinate (X) with suggestive comments about X’s body.
(b) Y sends flowers to X daily even though X has asked Y to stop doing so.
(c) Y repeatedly circulates revealing photographs of a classmate (X) to other classmates.
(d) Y surreptitiously plants a camera in X’s apartment. Unknown to X, the camera continuously transmits live videos of X in X’s apartment and Y watches the videos continually over several days. Y’s conduct is protracted.

 

Further information –

Singapore Statutes Online​ for the Protection from Harassment Act (Chapter 256A).

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