Stephanie* (*not her real name.) spoke to NLS earlier this year to apply for an extension to an existing NMO against her former partner which was due to expire.
Stephanie was a victim of continued harassment following the end of a relationship. During the relationship, the man would upset Stephanie by strangling their dog and spinning him around on the lead. When the relationship broke down, the level of harassment increased to the extent that he would make serious threats to Stephanie, including the alarming statement that he would “bomb her”.
After an extended period of harassment including at her place of work, Stephanie’s unborn child with her current partner became a target for the man.
He would spread rumours that the child was his, and threatened to harm Stephanie and her child. Her relationship with her current partner became strained to such an extent that she had to pay for a non-evasive paternity test in order to prove her current partner was the father.
While Stephanie had previously secured two NMOs against the respondent, the current one was due to expire, which led him to make calls to Stephanie from a withheld number, ultimately affecting her mental health.
We helped Stephanie with her application for an extension of the Order and submitted this to the court along with her official statement.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions at the time, the court considered the application on paper without hearing from the respondent given the seriousness of his actions.
The Order was subsequently extended for a total of 12 months without the need for any further hearings.
Our client is now able to live happily in the knowledge that the respondent will not be able to contact or harm her or her baby for at least the next year.
