The government has announced tougher prison sentences for people convicted of stalking.

The maximum jail term for a convicted stalker will double from five years to ten years in England and Wales.

Newsbeat spoke to a victim of stalking, who says that the change is a step in the right direction - but feels that there is more work to be done.

"Amy" - not her real name - told us what she would like to happen to her stalker.

Amy's story

I'm 26 years old and I'm going to tell you about a situation that's been affecting my life for four years.

The man who has been stalking me is an acquaintance from about eight years ago.

He started off by sending a lot of texts and calling me. I quickly replied and said that I wasn't interested and asked him to stop contacting me.

He then started delivering letters to my house.

He was saying things like God had told him that we were meant to be together.

He would also say that if I didn't reply, he would come and knock at the house.

The whole thing was really stressful - I wasn't really sure what he was capable of.

I know that he has been spending time near where I live, delivering these letters.

Whenever I'm out and about near here, I get worried.

When I walk through my front door, I get really tense. I don't like staying in the house on my own and if I do, I keep the curtains closed.

I can get quite depressing, stuck in the dark, worried about hearing something at the door.

My stalker started ignoring his restraining order

I contacted the police soon after my stalker started sending the hand-delivered letters.

But they talked me out of filing a report for the first couple of times and said that they would go and have a word with him.

After that, he was given a formal warning and then was charged with harassment without violence.

Don't delete emails, make sure you get screenshots and keep a diary of what's happening Laura Richards Paladin

He was given a restraining order, which he's since breached.

But instead of being charged with stalking, he was charged with breaking the restraining order.

It's a concern that it still hasn't been recognised as stalking and that he hasn't faced justice for that crime.

So far, I don't feel that the way it's been dealt with has been very effective.

The pattern is that each time it's dealt with; I get a few months respite - but then it starts up again.

This is what I'd like for my stalker

The new, tougher penalties on stalking might be a step in the right direction, but these won't affect me until he is actually charged with stalking.

An area to work on is training police to recognise the crime for what it actually is.

I'd also feel better if the mental health aspect was recognised more.

I do feel that the person who was stalking me does have mental health issues that might mean that he is incapable of understanding that what he is doing is wrong.

I'd see it as a longer-term solution if he was receiving treatment for his mental health problems.

The expert view

Laura Richards is from the charity Paladin, which supports victims.

Her advice is to "trust your instinct.

"Make sure you collect evidence.

"Don't delete emails, make sure you get screenshots and keep a diary of what's happening.

"Report it as early as possible. Go to the police, or you can speak to Paladin."

There is more advice available here if you are experiencing stalking.

Find us on Instagram at BBCNewsbeat and follow us on Snapchat, search for bbc_newsbeat