A man who hounded his ex-wife and posed a “serious risk” to his family has been banned from Hertfordshire in a restraining order.
Despite being acquitted of stalking, courts judged that the 38-year-old man from Wiltshire still posed a serious risk to his ex-wife and her family.
His ex-wife fled their family home in Wiltshire with her children in August 2020 to stay in Hertfordshire.
But the unnamed 38-year-old man swamped her with calls and emails and travelled to Hertfordshire several times in attempt to find her.
On one occasion he confronted a relative - grabbing her phone off her as she tried to call police.
The man was arrested and charged with stalking, but a court found his behaviour did not meet the criminal standard for stalking and he was acquitted.
However, the Royal Courts of Justice in London judged that he still posed a risk to her and imposed a restraining order banning him from entering Hertfordshire or contacting her or her family.
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The man challenged the decision, but the Court of Appeal rejected this on September 13.
If he breaches the order, he will be arrested and could be jailed for up to five years.
Detective Constable Laura Weedon, said: “While we will always fully investigate any suspicions of crime, a criminal conviction is not the only way we or the courts can protect people and their families.
“Despite the acquittal in this case, a judge was still sufficiently concerned about his behaviour to impose a restraining order, preventing him from contacting his former partner and, unusually, her family too.”
DC Weedon continued: “The woman here said that she can finally breathe knowing he cannot hound her anymore. She is starting to get her life back on track and is very grateful for all the support she has received from us. She is pleased that she gave evidence in court and that her family also have the same legal protection as her.
“We are committed to tackling and preventing abuse or violence against women and girls. We have specialist officers who work to protect people from domestic abuse, violence and sexual offences. Please reach out for help if you have concerns about the behaviour of your or someone else’s partner or ex-partner. We are here to help.”
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