Stalking ?

[hammerman]

Friend...female, 45 years old and single has been receiving lots of unwanted attention from a male "friend"

At the moments...well for the past 9 months, it's txts and voice mails. But she's sick of it...he's married and she's told him she's not interested but he bombards her with hundreds of txts every week and keeps leaving messages on her phone.

Any grounds for the police to get involved yet ?

[boxtops]

whyever has she let it go on this long? what sort of messages are they? if they are threatening or lewd, she definitely needs to tell the police.

[FredPuli43]

Why will the police not want to get involved? This is a pattern of disturbing behaviour, frightening or worrying or just a severe nuisance, possibly leading to a breach of the peace, which seems very much a police matter. We read of similar cases in the papers all the time.Try them.

[EDDIE51]

I bet a £ to a penny that if she goes to the police they will just say ''change your number'' when someone hacked my debit card and stole £600 they refused to even give me a crime number just said '' nothing to do with us , tell the bank'' They will tell her to change her number and let the phone compnay know.

[FredPuli43]

The current law applicable is, apparently, the Protection from Harassment Act, 1997. The punishment is up to six months imprisonment.

[RATTER15]

EDDIE, Im fairly sure the police would go and see this guy just to prevent a crime being committed, the fall back on the police wouldnt look good if they ignored a call for help if something serious happened.

[hammerman]

Thanks for all your answers guys. She hasn't changed her number because she's had it for 15 years and too many people know her to change. And, of course, why should she.

Im going to try to talk to her tonight to see what she's done about it. If a complaint is made, im pretty sure the police will have to act on it....it's just whether this will make things worse as he knows where she lives.

She's a bloody nice girl and really doesn't want to rock the boat by telling his wife and if she blocked his number, he'd buy a new pay as you go cheapy phone for a tenner.

I'll let you know the outcome.

Thanks again

[EDDIE51]

I would get her to text back to him with the message '' I have set my phone to automatically divert all texts & messages from your number to your wife, you have been warned !''
May just have the result she wants .

[ummmm]

Eddie, the police would get involved.