Domestic Abuse including violence and injunctions
If you are being subjected to verbal and physical abuse, or being harassed and threatened in any way, we have an expert team of family solicitors who can give you legal advice about the options available to you including applying to the Court for an Injunction Order or about any other area of family law.
Domestic abuse/domestic violence includes physical and mental abuse, emotional abuse, financial abuse and sexual abuse, threats and intimidation.
The Government defines domestic violence as "any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) between adults who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality."
Key Questions
Resolution suggest thinking about the following questions before making contact with a solicitor:
- Have you been arguing a lot recently?
- Do you generally have a lot of arguments?
- When you argue, what usually happens?
- Has your partner ever been convicted of any criminal offence, in particular those including violence and/or drugs or alcohol?
- What happens when your partner loses their temper?
- When your partner drinks alcohol does this ever result in arguments?
- Does your partner become violent after consuming alcohol?
- How safe or afraid do you feel in your current relationship?
- Has your partner ever threatened you with a weapon?
- Has your partner ever threatened to harm you and/or the children?
- Has your partner ever stalked you?
(produced with permission from the Family Law Society Family Law Protocol)
Court Orders
Domestic abuse/violence can relate to one specific incident or a series of incidents over a period of time, in which case it is possible to obtain an Injunction Order through the Courts. This can:
- Prevent a violent or abusive person from using or threatening violence towards you and/or any children of the family, including harassment and other forms of abuse. This is called a Non-Molestation Order.
- Can also exclude a violent or abusive person from the home or other family property, this is called an Occupation Order.
Our team are highly experienced in successfully obtaining Domestic Violence Injunctions on behalf of partners, former partners, family members and other third parties, whereby a Protection from Harassment Order can be applied for through the Courts.
These Orders can be applied for on an immediate emergency basis, without your partner or ex-partner being present at the initial Court hearing. He or she would therefore not be aware of your application until after the Court hearing and once you have been granted the Court Orders to protect you.
Further Information
We can provide you with beneficial legal advice so that you can decide the best way forward for you in order to end the abuse and violence. Please contact one of our specialist family solicitors for further advice and assistance on you next steps.
Useful websites
www.womensaid.org.uk
www.refuge.org.uk
www.mensadviceline.org.uk
www.broken-rainbow.org.uk
www.shelter.org.uk
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