The government plans to make stalking a crime, 11 years after that was first proposed by the Law Reform Commission.
Under the proposed law, released yesterday for a three-month public consultation, stalkers will face up to two years in jail and a fine of up to HK$100,000.
The crime is defined as 'a series of acts' directed at specific persons that cause them to feel 'harassed, alarmed or distressed'.
The acts could range from making unwelcome communication with the victim, following the victim around or sending unwanted gifts to the victim, to more serious conduct, like vandalism or physical or verbal abuse.
There are three possible defences: the acts were done to prevent or detect crime; they were done with lawful authority; or they were reasonable under the circumstances.
The crime would cover collective harassment involving more than one stalker - which means media outlets could fall foul of the law if they send more than one journalist to follow the same person, Hong Kong Journalists Association chairwoman Mak Yin-ting said.