Stalking.

Stalking, has become a common occurrence in Britain with one in eight Britons admitting to being stalked or having a previous experience with stalking. There are many reasons as to why people stalk others, sometimes past relationships can have a lasting effect on people and their behaviour becomes that of a stalker and they cannot let go, other people develop an attraction which isn’t returned and they become obsessive. It has also been known for people to have such an interest in celebrities that they start stalking them.

In April 1999, BBC news presenter Jill Dando was shot and killed outside her home in West London. So far, nobody has been convicted of her murder, although it was believed that Barry George was guilty of the crime. He was first tried in 2001 but wasn’t found guilty of the charges, however in 2008 he was retried and cleared of the murder. At the time of his second trial, The Judge told that jury that "The defendant suffers from epilepsy and has psychological problems,” therefore can it be argued that there are psychological problems behind stalking? Mr. Laidlaw, prosecutor, said "He had a fixation with the famous and with celebrities” which often lead to him acting as relatives of celebrities, including the cousin of Freddie Mecury. This could be proof to many that an obsession can be so deep that a person pretends to be someone else, in order to get close to what they want.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/jill-dando-killed-by-celebrityobsessed-stalker-843099.html

It is a terrifying prospect to consider being stalked, but the reality is that it does happen. As always, there is no specific reason as to why these things occur, but they do. The unfortunate truth is that certain people develop a fascination with others that they aren’t able to control and it can lead to stalking. Perhaps the question of why stalking happens will never be resolved, but unfortunately it does take place.