The Facts About UK Harassment Laws
By: Katherine Jackman | Posted: 06th February 2017
What is Harassment?
Harassment is defined as behaviour that leads to feelings of distress, humiliation and threat in another person. While it can be difficult to understand what exactly constitutes as harassment as it is largely dependent on individual circumstances there are some concrete examples that, if you are accused of harassment, could lead to a court case and a possible prison sentence of 6 months and a fine in the event of a conviction. However, harassment cases deemed to be more serious could result in the case being heard at the Crown Court, which can attract a much longer prison sentence.
Examples of Harassment
The Protection from Harassment Act of 1997 means that the act of harassment is both a criminal offence and civil action that can lead to prosecution and must be taken seriously. The law applies to everyone and each experience is defined by different circumstances; it could be done by a person known to the victim, by a stranger or even a person of authority such as a landlord or employers.
As mentioned previously, harassment as an act can be difficult to define because we all have different coping capacities for unwanted behaviour and sometimes what one person might think of as being harassment isn't necessarily how it is defined by law. For example, in cases concerning creditors certain types of behaviour when trying to recover money owed may constitute as harassment, but if you have stopped making payments then they will be able to take action against you.
The law states that a person must have experienced at least two incidents by the same person or group before it becomes an actionable offence. The following are some clear examples of harassment under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997:
• Making repeated and persistent contact with someone that does not wish to be contacted - through emails, home calls and unsolicited visits to their home; this include texts, Whatsapp messaging and so on.
• Verbal abuse and threats;
• Stalking;
• Threatening behaviour and acts of violence;
• Sexual harassment;
• Online harassment; this includes emails and social networking activity
• Discriminatory behaviour on the grounds of sexuality, race, religion etc.
If you are accused of harassment in any capacity then the best thing to do would be to find representation with plenty of experience in defending similar cases. Stephen Lickrish & Associates are harassment solicitors in the North West that can provide you with expert advice and excellent representation in the court of law. Because the case is dependent on the perspectives of you and the person who has accused you, your solicitor needs to have a good understanding of how the law works and be able to get all of the facts necessary to form a strong defence. The solicitors at Stephen Lickrish & Associates have dealt with an array of harassment cases, and while they are based in Manchester they operate nationally.
Whether you're looking for harassment solicitors in London or need help with your harassment case in the North East, Stephen Lickrish & Associates can help you through every step of the process.
They also have experience in defending cases for other offences, including but not limited to:
• Benefit Fraud
• Mortgage Fraud
• Sexual Offences
• Money Laundering
• Terrorism
You can contact these expert solicitor on 0161 237 1913 or on their 24 hour emergency legal advice helpline on 0800 988 64 22.
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Printed From: http://www.goinglegal.com/the-facts-about-uk-harassment-laws-2440407.html
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