How Can I Stop My Former Partner From Harassing Me?

Unacceptable behaviour from a former partner, such as threats of violence, stalking or harassment, does not have to be tolerated. 

Simon Leach, family law solicitor at Family Law Group in Nottingham explains how you could obtain a court order called an ‘injunction’ to protect you and your family from harm.

Types of injunction

There are a number of injunctions that can be granted, including:

 
• Non-molestation order
 
• Occupation order
 
• Prohibited steps order
 

Depending on your circumstances you may need to apply for more than one order.

If your partner fails to do what they have been ordered to do in the order they will have committed an offence for which they could be sent to prison.

Non-molestation order

A non-molestation order is the most common type of injunction in family cases and can be used to prevent your former partner from doing certain things, like physically assaulting you, harassing you, or coming near your home or place of work.  It can cover a wide variety of actions, such as contact by text or posting comments on social media.

To benefit from a non-molestation order, you and your partner must either:

 
• Be married to each other
 
• Have previously been married to each other
 
• Have lived together
 
• Have a child together
 

An order will only be made if the court is satisfied that the actions of your former partner are having an adverse impact on your physical or mental wellbeing or that of a child and that the protection of the court is required.

A non-molestation order can last for up to 12 months but can be extended beyond that if necessary.

Occupation order

An occupation order dictates who can live in the family home and can be used to temporarily exclude your former partner from the property you occupy.  During the time the order is in force, your partner will not be allowed to enter the family home.  Because of the dramatic impact such an order may have on your partner, the court will only take this step, if it considers it to be absolutely necessary.    

An occupation order can be made for up to 12 months, but can be extended beyond that if necessary.  Because it is a temporary order, it does not affect property ownership rights.

Prohibited steps order

A prohibited steps order can be used to stop your former partner doing a number of things concerning your child, such as turning up at their school unannounced or trying to remove them from your care.  The court will decide how long the order should last for, but it will not normally extend beyond your child’s sixteenth birthday.

Do I need an injunction?

If you are concerned about the behaviour of your former partner it is important that you take legal advice as soon as possible.  Your solicitor will discuss all options with you and tell you if they think an injunction is needed.  In some cases, intervention from a solicitor can persuade your partner to agree voluntarily to stay away from you or to stop behaving in a certain way, and if this promise is made to a judge and is subsequently broken it is possible that your partner may be sent to prison.