THE father of a nurse who was stabbed to death by a violent former partner is to petition the government for a special register which would enable police to identify, track, monitor and manage stalkers.

John Clough, from Barrowford, and his wife Penny, have become ambassadors of Paladin, the National Stalking Advocacy Service, since the devastating death of their daughter Jane.

Together, they are calling on Home Secretary Theresa May to introduce the measure that they say will protect women from serial stalkers and domestic violence perpetrators.

Mr Clough said there was no existing framework to track or monitor serial stalkers and those with a history of violence meaning that police instead rely on a series of victims to report multiple crimes.

Often, it is the victims who are forced to change their behaviour, flee their homes and disappear themselves in order to stay safe.

He said: “This needs to change. It is the perpetrator’s behaviour that is the problem. There needs to be a positive obligation on them to change their behaviour and take responsibility. They are the ones who need to be tracked, supervised and managed and not the victim.

“We will be launching the petition soon and are hoping for a real change.”

Jane, 26, a nurse at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, was stabbed 71 times as she walked into work by predator Jonathan Vass. She had ended their relationship and told police that he had raped and beaten her, but he was granted bail while awaiting a court hearing.

Mr Clough is also due to give a talk to businesses in London about enabling employers to support staff who may be victims of domestic violence.

He said: “I have met with (police and crime commissioner) Clive Grunshaw and I am hoping that something similar could be set up in Lancashire. Employers need to know how they can support people that may be suffering from abuse.

“Blackpool Victoria Hospital knew what Jane was going through and they were very supportive when she had to take time off work and did their best to encourage her back. But Vass worked at the hospital too and since her death, things have come to light about him actually saying that he was going to kill her while in the mess room at work.”