Murder : the product of stalking behaviour : a twenty-year study of murder cases in Malta

Abstract

Various countries have a different legal understating of stalking. The Maltese stalking legislation, which was implemented in 2014, is based on the United Kingdom’s legislation. Thus, any arguments brought up in the British context can be used in the Maltese context. This study considers the definition of stalking and its acts and elements, as stated by the law. It also investigates the prevalence rates amongst different countries. This study also examines the characteristics of stalking victims and aggressors and the different existing stalker typologies. The impacts of stalking in terms of psychological, sociological, financial, and physical harm are also discussed. This study gives an overview of what quantitative and qualitative research consist of and describes the research tool used. This research project adopted quantitative research methods and conducted a secondary data-based study. Ethical considerations were taken into account throughout the process. The study’s limitations are also presented to the reader. This study explains and analyses its findings in detail and identifies certain key elements. The main findings show that stalking can lead to homicide. From the chosen Maltese case studies, the span of which ranged over a period of 20 years, six cases of wilful homicides that included stalking behaviour were identified.