My sister was dating this guy and they are now split up there is a child involoed in the situation and he is always coming to my mother's house and verbally abusing my sister,mother,and I and we have contacted the police on several occasions and it is always the same thing. They can not do anything because he did not physically harm someone I need to know what can be done legally in order to stop the verbal abuse involed in this situation before it becomes physical and some one gets hurt I want action to be takin to bring this boy to justice before he harms someone or himself.

-- Anonymous, April 18, 2003

Answers

I have been trying to find out for seven years, but cannot when you find out please let me know! I have a simular circumstance, as well as many people who come to me with simular circumstances. Many people want to know. I am being told that I will know as soon as I have physical evidence. If I knew how to extract valid evidence I could tell you what can legally be done.

-- Anonymous, May 20, 2003

Nothing can be done until it turns physical, I'm afraid. And if you try to record the verbal assault without his knowledge, it can actually work against you, as many judges will consider it "entrapment" and it will place YOU in a bad light instead.

What you might try doing is to record his assults, making sure that he is fully aware that you are recording him and that he somehow acknowledges this on the recording. If he acknowledges this, the tapes can be used legally.

Indicating to him that he is being tape recorded may help stop him from initiating the verbal abuse in the first place. And if he grabs and destroys the tape recording, it has just become physical and you now have a legal leg to stand on (just have a second, hidden, tape recording going as he does this.).

-- Anonymous, May 29, 2003