Northern Ireland’s first stalking protection order (SPO) has been granted by a court in Belfast.
The two-year order was handed down to a 46-year-old Belfast man after he stalked and harassed his 50-year-old former partner.
Stalking protection orders were first introduced to Northern Ireland in October 2023.
Breaching an order can result in a prison sentence of up to five years.
A senior detective said the granting of the SPO represented a “huge milestone”.
The order was issued at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday after the defendant had refused to stop contacting his ex-partner and her son and harassing her family members.
The defendant would also turn up at her home address on a number of occasions.
The order will remain in place for two years as a criminal investigation progresses and prevents the man from contacting the woman or her family by any means, including on social media, and prohibits the locations he can go to in her local area.
In a statement released through police, the victim said: “I have waited years for a law to protect me and my son.
“I am so thankful that there is now an order in place that can protect us.
“I hope this gives other victims some hope that there is help available. I am so happy, I feel I don’t have to live as a prisoner in my own life any more.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Lindsay Fisher said: “SPOs provide another tool for us to help protect victims and improve their safety.
“This is the first time we have obtained an SPO and marks a huge milestone for Northern Ireland since new legislation was introduced only a number of months ago.
“We are seeing continued positive policing in this area with alleged offenders being arrested weekly.
“We will continue to raise awareness and encourage victims to come forward with the knowledge that we now have over 5,000 officers and staff trained to recognise and respond and that they take all reports seriously.
“The operationalisation of SPOs allows our officers, like in this case, to take swift and decisive action, putting restrictions in place and ultimately being ready to enforce breaches, treating them as criminal offences.
“Our readiness to take action in this way, we hope, will have a hugely positive effect on the confidence people have in coming forward, knowing that in Northern Ireland we take stalking incredibly seriously.”
Stalking was made a criminal offence in Northern Ireland in April 2022 and since then until the end of January 2024, the PSNI have arrested, on average, 15 people a month under the new legislation.
