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Hello.
I was hoping someone there might be able to suggest a course of action for the following situation:
A friend of mine fell out with me in April 2019. She suggested I’d acted inappropriately during a night out, which was absolutely untrue. It’s totally against my character, and it was refuted by mutual friends who were there, and subsequently by her, according to others.
I was very upset and confused as to why it had happened, as it seemed to have been on a whim, but after attempting to reconcile for seven months, which involved sending a total of six texts and one letter, I gave up. Friends suggested I make more of a concerted effort to talk to her in person, but I felt the situation was unpredictable and possibly dangerous.
We were part of a small social group, and she continued to come to events where she would conspicuously shun me, which I found very awkward and upsetting. I stopped going to group activities in December as a result. And in March 2020 at the beginning of Lockdown, when a WhatsApp group was set up with all of us on it, I decided to leave the group entirely. It was all too weird. I made it clear why I was leaving.
In July 2020 I was arrested for stalking and criminal damage. Police came to my door in force at 11.30pm. In view of my neighbours I was put in the back of a car and taken to the station. I had my phone confiscated and I was put in a cell and left there until the following evening. I learned that the police had mistakenly gone to my mother’s house first, causing her much distress, and I never got my phone call to tell her I was ok either.
I was informed that my flat and car were being searched, and computers and iPads and hard drives had been taken for forensic investigation. I was finger printed, photographed and swabbed.
The next day I was interviewed. It transpired that Emily had accused me of stalking based on the following:
1: In early June she had filmed me ‘loitering’ outside her place of work. In actuality I was at a frequently used meeting place in Warwick town centre, some 110ft from her place of work. Weeks later, when I had retrieved my phone, I was able to provide the police with a text conversation showing who I was meeting there. When and why.
2: In mid June she’d filmed me ‘loitering’ outside her house. In actuality I was parked 435ft from her flat, in a space I use frequently when buying chips from my closest chip shop. I actually saw her filming me on this occasion, which freaked me out. I was able to provide the police with text conversations I’d had concerning it.
3: She was claiming in February I’d smashed the window on her car and left a nail propped up on one of the tyres. I’ve never shown any animosity towards her at all, and the only reason she could possibly have for accusing me, is because of how unreasonably she’d treated me last year. Luckily I was able to provide the police with texts showing I was out with friends that night, which also happened to be the night of Storm Ciera, which caused a lot of damage in our area. I remembered the photo they showed me of the damage had a road sign and a large branch on the ground next to the car. The nail? I’m inclined to think she did that to make the window look like vandalism.
So after a month of being completely freaked out and depressed and not being able to work because my equipment had been confiscated, which caused my employer to lose a potential client, the police dropped the charges.
Obviously this is a simplified account, but the whole situation is incredibly well documented. I can account for myself completely. I’m certain she won’t be able to supply one piece of genuine and reasonable evidence or testimony to suggest I’ve ever even been inappropriate or disrespectful, even in the face of baffling vindictiveness. And I’ve never done anything that could be considered harassment.
But I don’t feel I’m able to go into my home town now without wondering if I’m being filmed. I want a chance to put my side of the story on record, for my own protection.
I am sympathetic to whatever her issues might be, as I had once considered us good friends. But unfortunately, I can’t afford to let this escalate.
I think I need to take some kind of official action, and I was hoping someone there might be able to suggest a course of action. This is my first experience with any aspect of the law, so would appreciate any help.
I was hoping someone there might be able to suggest a course of action for the following situation:
A friend of mine fell out with me in April 2019. She suggested I’d acted inappropriately during a night out, which was absolutely untrue. It’s totally against my character, and it was refuted by mutual friends who were there, and subsequently by her, according to others.
I was very upset and confused as to why it had happened, as it seemed to have been on a whim, but after attempting to reconcile for seven months, which involved sending a total of six texts and one letter, I gave up. Friends suggested I make more of a concerted effort to talk to her in person, but I felt the situation was unpredictable and possibly dangerous.
We were part of a small social group, and she continued to come to events where she would conspicuously shun me, which I found very awkward and upsetting. I stopped going to group activities in December as a result. And in March 2020 at the beginning of Lockdown, when a WhatsApp group was set up with all of us on it, I decided to leave the group entirely. It was all too weird. I made it clear why I was leaving.
In July 2020 I was arrested for stalking and criminal damage. Police came to my door in force at 11.30pm. In view of my neighbours I was put in the back of a car and taken to the station. I had my phone confiscated and I was put in a cell and left there until the following evening. I learned that the police had mistakenly gone to my mother’s house first, causing her much distress, and I never got my phone call to tell her I was ok either.
I was informed that my flat and car were being searched, and computers and iPads and hard drives had been taken for forensic investigation. I was finger printed, photographed and swabbed.
The next day I was interviewed. It transpired that Emily had accused me of stalking based on the following:
1: In early June she had filmed me ‘loitering’ outside her place of work. In actuality I was at a frequently used meeting place in Warwick town centre, some 110ft from her place of work. Weeks later, when I had retrieved my phone, I was able to provide the police with a text conversation showing who I was meeting there. When and why.
2: In mid June she’d filmed me ‘loitering’ outside her house. In actuality I was parked 435ft from her flat, in a space I use frequently when buying chips from my closest chip shop. I actually saw her filming me on this occasion, which freaked me out. I was able to provide the police with text conversations I’d had concerning it.
3: She was claiming in February I’d smashed the window on her car and left a nail propped up on one of the tyres. I’ve never shown any animosity towards her at all, and the only reason she could possibly have for accusing me, is because of how unreasonably she’d treated me last year. Luckily I was able to provide the police with texts showing I was out with friends that night, which also happened to be the night of Storm Ciera, which caused a lot of damage in our area. I remembered the photo they showed me of the damage had a road sign and a large branch on the ground next to the car. The nail? I’m inclined to think she did that to make the window look like vandalism.
So after a month of being completely freaked out and depressed and not being able to work because my equipment had been confiscated, which caused my employer to lose a potential client, the police dropped the charges.
Obviously this is a simplified account, but the whole situation is incredibly well documented. I can account for myself completely. I’m certain she won’t be able to supply one piece of genuine and reasonable evidence or testimony to suggest I’ve ever even been inappropriate or disrespectful, even in the face of baffling vindictiveness. And I’ve never done anything that could be considered harassment.
But I don’t feel I’m able to go into my home town now without wondering if I’m being filmed. I want a chance to put my side of the story on record, for my own protection.
I am sympathetic to whatever her issues might be, as I had once considered us good friends. But unfortunately, I can’t afford to let this escalate.
I think I need to take some kind of official action, and I was hoping someone there might be able to suggest a course of action. This is my first experience with any aspect of the law, so would appreciate any help.
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