On Mon, 05 Jan 2004 16:53:05 GMT, Harry Bloomfield
<harry.m1bytNOSPAM@tiscali.co.uk> wrote:

Protection from Harassment Act 1997

The Protection from Harassment Act has separate sections for [England 
and
Wales] and Scotland. It prohibits a course of conduct which amounts to
harassment of another and which --

"(a) is intended to amount to harassment of that person; or (b) occurs 
in
circumstances where it would appear to a reasonable person that it 
would
amount to harassment of that person."

As defined in the act, "harassment" would include alarming the person 
or
causing the person distress.

You can find the full text of this law online, but it might be more 
helpful to
read Barrister Addison's edited version, as he incorporates s7(3A) 
added to
the Act by s44 Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001.



Malicious Communications Act 1998

The Malicious Communications Act 1998, as amended by Section 43 
Criminal
Justice and Police Act 2001 states:

(1) Any person who sends to another person

(a) a letter, electronic communication or article of any description 
which
conveys

(i) a message which is indecent or grossly offensive

(ii) a threat or

(iii) information which is false and known or believed to be false by 
the
sender or

(b) any article or electronic communication which is, in whole or part, 
of an
indecent or grossly offensive nature,

is guilty of an offence if his purpose, or one of his purposes, in 
sending it
is that it should, so far as falling within paragraph (a) or (b) above, 
cause
distress or anxiety to the recipient or to any other person to whom he
intends that it or its contents or nature should be communicated.

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