If you or your children are experiencing harassment, coercive control or domestic abuse, we strongly recommend that you seek legal advice as a matter of urgency.
We appreciate that advice is often sought in very difficult circumstances, and we aim to help and support our clients with compassion and efficiency; we are responsive in a crisis and can take immediate action to ensure the safety of you and your loved ones.
“Annette Taylor made me feel less nervous. She was excellent and had such a lovely way about her.” VC, July 2019.
Immediate steps
Every case is different but you should think about taking the following steps:
- Report any incidents to the police;
- Go to your GP if you have been assaulted;
- Ask a trusted friend to take photographs of any injuries;
- If abusive messages are left on your telephone, then keep the messages;
- Make diary notes so that you can recall the dates and incidents.
These can all be important pieces of evidence if you decide to apply to court for protection.
Criminal offence
Domestic violence, harassment and coercive control are criminal offences. Although historically the police have been slow to intervene in “domestic disputes”, they now take the issue of domestic abuse far more seriously than they used to and are more likely, in appropriate cases, to prosecute or serve a warning or harassment notice.
Injunctions
If you are unable to resolve your situation by reporting it to the police, we can give you advice about applying for injunctive relief through the civil courts.
An injunction will usually be granted for a specified period of time to give you time to sort out arrangements for your separation in the long-term. If an injunction is breached, the perpetrator can be brought before the court and may be fined or sent to prison.
There are two types of injunction available in the Family Court, a non-molestation order and an occupation order. Both can be obtained as a matter of urgency and, in exceptional circumstances, without the other person being informed of your application until after the court order has been made and served on them.
A non-molestation order prohibits the other person from using or threatening violence, or being abusive, harassing or pestering you. Such orders carry an automatic power of arrest should the other person breach the terms of the order in any way.
An occupation order is an order that limits and defines the occupation of your home. It can prohibit, for example, the other person from coming into your bedroom or it can exclude the other person from the home and area that you live in altogether. The fact that the other person is the legal owner of that home has no bearing on such orders.
Additionally, there is the option of applying for an injunction under The Protection from Harassment Act.
“I can’t fault the service that Sarah Jackson gave. She was always on the ball with everything that happened with my case.” JB, February 2017
Contact
We can advise you as to the most appropriate course of action to protect you and your family.
We are also able to refer our clients to outside agencies for support and assistance having built up a network of specialist therapists and counsellors in the area of relationship breakdown over many years.
For more information, please contact the Family Team on 01225 462871, or complete the Contact Form at the bottom of this page. We are very approachable and everything that you tell us is treated in the strictest confidence.