Calderwood House, Montpellier Parade, Cheltenham GL50 1UA
Our criminal defence solicitors provide clear legal advice and representation for people facing allegations of harassment, stalking and related offences. We can advise you from the initial investigation and police interview through to court proceedings, helping you understand the allegations, evidence and legal options available to you.
Criminal Defence Advice
An allegation of harassment or stalking may involve months of messages, visits or online activity being presented as a pattern of behaviour. Our solicitors help you understand which acts are alleged, what effect is claimed and how the police say they are connected. We give you clear advice about contact restrictions and evidence, while taking time to understand the background and your explanation of the events.
The context of communications matters, but it must be considered alongside the legal test and the other person's circumstances. Our criminal law team reviews the full sequence, checks who sent or accessed the material and examines any defence that may apply. We can advise before questioning and prepare for court, including applications involving restraining or stalking protection orders, with practical guidance on avoiding further allegations while the case is unresolved.
The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 includes offences involving a course of conduct, ordinarily requiring at least two occasions, that meets the relevant harassment or stalking test. More serious offences involve fear of violence or serious alarm or distress with the specified impact on usual activities. Online conduct can form part of the allegation. An unwanted message is not automatically every element of an offence, but repeated contact and its context require careful assessment.
Investigations can involve weeks or months of WhatsApp messages, texts, emails, call records, social-media activity, CCTV and other digital evidence. We look at the wider chronology and the conduct actually being alleged rather than treating a few selected messages as the whole case.
Where the allegation involves a former partner, communication may also relate to children, finances, property or belongings. If bail or no-contact conditions are in place, we can explain how they affect that communication while the investigation continues.
Allegations involving a partner or former partner may also raise domestic abuse issues, including restrictions affecting the home or contact arrangements.
You can obtain advice before any charge has been brought. If police want to interview you, we can review the information available, take your instructions and represent you during questioning. If charged, we can then prepare the messages, call data and other evidence for the next hearing or trial.
Our police interview advice can address the alleged course of conduct before charge, while separate advice may be needed on restraining orders, stalking protection orders or an alleged breach.
An intention to explain yourself or repair a relationship does not necessarily answer an allegation of harassment. Repeated communication after clear requests to stop can be significant, and contact through friends or new accounts may also be relied on. Selective messages can give a misleading picture in either direction. We review complete records and any lawful explanation while making sure existing restrictions are understood and complied with.
A long history of communication can be difficult to understand when only a handful of messages are highlighted. We organise the chronology, review the exchanges in context and focus on the conduct the police or prosecution actually say amounts to an offence.
We can remain involved from interview through to court and deal with connected bail conditions, restraining orders or domestic allegations. That continuity is useful where the evidence grows over time and the case cannot be understood from a single incident alone.
Reviewing a short sequence of contact differs from analysing several devices or a lengthy relationship chronology. We estimate the work required for the current stage and explain any separate costs for counsel, digital expertise or protective-order proceedings, including VAT where applicable. The fee quotation identifies the material to be reviewed and the hearings covered, with changes discussed if the investigation expands.
We do not accept legal aid instructions. If you choose our firm, we will agree our fees with you before substantive work begins.
Harassment & Stalking FAQs
Common questions about messages, former partners, bail conditions, restraining orders and costs.
Yes. Messages, emails, calls and social-media activity can form part of the evidence. The wider communication history can be important when individual extracts are being relied upon.
The case can overlap with domestic abuse allegations or continuing communication after separation. We can advise on the criminal allegation and any bail or court restrictions affecting contact.
Yes. We can explain what the conditions prevent and advise on the correct process if there are grounds to ask for a variation. Existing conditions must be followed unless formally changed.
A Stalking Protection Order is a protective order that can impose requirements or restrictions. It can arise alongside a stalking investigation, so the exact terms and any alleged breach need to be taken seriously.
Yes. We can review the wording of the order, the conduct said to amount to a breach and the evidence relied upon. The exact terms of the order are important.
Yes. You can obtain legal advice during the police investigation before any charging decision and have a solicitor with you during an interview under caution.
The court route depends on the precise offence and seriousness. We can explain where the case is likely to be dealt with once the charge is known.
Fees depend on the stage of the case, volume of messages or other evidence and whether the matter proceeds to trial. We can explain the likely costs before you decide to instruct us.
They can form part of a case depending on content, repetition, targeting and the relevant legal requirements. Public posts, tags or indirect communications may matter even without a direct message. We examine the actual publication and context rather than assume that an open account makes the conduct legally harmless.
In appropriate circumstances a criminal court can make a restraining order following acquittal where the legal test is met. An acquittal therefore does not always end every protective-order issue. We review the proposed terms and evidence and explain how to challenge an unnecessary or disproportionate restriction.
If the police are investigating harassment or stalking, or a court hearing is approaching, speak to us about the history of contact and where the case currently stands. We can explain the next steps, how we can help and the likely costs.
Arrange a telephone call or visit our Cheltenham office by appointment. We assist clients in Cheltenham and the surrounding Gloucestershire area.
Call 0330 900 0377, email info@pembridgesolicitors.co.uk or request a consultation.
Pembridge Solicitors
Calderwood House, Montpellier Parade
Cheltenham GL50 1UA
Office visits by appointment.