Harassment

Harassment is your remedy if someone is stalking you. Under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 someone is guilty of harassment if he pursues a “course of conduct” – conduct on at least two occasions – which amounts to harassment of you. The definition of harassment includes alarming a person or causing him or her distress. Harassment can be both a criminal offence and also provide grounds for a civil claim in which you can ask the court for an injunction. Importantly, the Act also allows you to bring a claim for an apprehended course of conduct. The law in this area has become a powerful tool for ordinary people and celebrities alike.

Very importantly, you may also be able to prove that a series of articles in the press constitutes harassment of you. In a case in 2001 a claimant was able to show that a series of articles in the Sun constituted harassment of her. The Court of Appeal confirmed that the test of whether a series of publications constituted harassment turned on whether the publisher’s conduct was reasonable. In this case it was not.