Saturday 13 August 2022 02:19 AM Men who sexually harass women in the street could face up to two years in jail trends now
Men who sexually harass women in public could face up to two years in prison under new government rules.
The Home Office has launched a consultation on amending the 1986 public order act to add a new offence of 'public sexual harassment'.
Following someone, making obscene comments or gestures, cornering someone or deliberately following someone slowly in your car are listed as possible offences.
The document emerged quietly just before Parliament stopped for the summer recess, The Telegraph reported.
Boris Johnson said previously that current rules were sufficient to crack down on street harassment such as wolf whistling or catcalling if properly policed.
But the new consultation suggests 'others take a different view and we respect that'.
Tougher action against petty harassment has been mooted along with action to increase conviction rates for more serious crimes since Ms Everard was brutally killed in March 2021.
Liz Truss, the frontrunner to be the next prime minister, has previously backed a new law to tackle violence against women.
It is believed Priti Patel is also in favour of adding the new offence
The consultation had been promised after the horrific murder of Sarah Everard by Wayne Couzens, a serving Met Police officer.
Her death sparked calls for tougher laws to tackle the scourge of violent misogyny in Britain.
The Office for National Statistics found that half of women aged 16 to 34 had been harassed at some point in the last year.
And a horrifying 38 per cent had been targeted with catcalls, unwanted sexual comments and whistles.
Under the proposed law, unlike hate crime, the defendant would not have to be motivated by hostility because of the victim's sex.
The document states: 'Public sexual harassment will sometimes be based on such hostility, but not
