Latest news with #HillStreetStudios
Wales Online
01-07-2025
- Wales Online
Criminal lawyer explains what to do if your neighbour is harassing you
Criminal lawyer explains what to do if your neighbour is harassing you A lawyer has explained when you can report nuisance neighbours to the police Have you ever fought with your neighbours? (Image: Hill Street Studios via Getty Images ) Disagreements and altercations with your neighbours can turn everyday life into a tense and uncomfortable experience. So if you find yourself in this position, a lawyer has offered guidance on when you can take your troublesome neighbours' behaviour to the police. A social media user on TikTok asked: "How do you deal with harassment from a neighbour? I have been polite up to now, but it's getting to the point again where it's every day". Legal expert @crimdlawyer on TikTok said in reply that if incidents have occurred multiple times, "it can be reported to the police". He added that disputes between neighbours often reach the police when individuals have kept records or set up CCTV cameras. He further stressed that harassment "doesn't have to be in a domestic setting" for the police to step in – it can happen at work or even with "the same person who walks past you" regularly, reports the Daily Record. Citizens Advice makes it clear that anyone can report harassment to the police, who may then charge someone with criminal harassment if: The individual has harassed you repeatedly The harassment caused you distress or fear Should the police decide to take action, they will involve the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which takes people to court in what is termed 'prosecution'. If the CPS chooses not to prosecute, they must let you know. Article continues below In some situations, you're entitled to initiate a civil court case if: They've harassed you more than once - this includes stalking The harassment made you feel distressed or alarmed Harassment is a severe matter that can manifest in various ways, including stalking or causing distress. If you have experienced harassment on multiple occasions and it has caused you distress or alarm, you have the option to pursue legal action. Content cannot be displayed without consent The court has the authority to instruct the person harassing you to maintain a distance - this is referred to as obtaining an 'injunction'. Furthermore, the court may grant you compensation. If the individual continues to harass you after an injunction has been issued, they are violating the law and could face imprisonment. You have the right to go to civil court even if you haven't reported the incident to the police, or if the CPS decided not to prosecute the person who harassed you. This also applies if the CPS prosecuted the person, but the court found them not guilty. Article continues below What exactly is harassment? According to DFA Law: "Harassment is defined as types of behaviour that 'cause alarm or distress', or 'put people in fear of violence'." They say "this can include threats of violence or an actual act of violence, verbal abuse, threats or actual damage to property or possessions, as well as written forms of abuse or threats. Broadly, neighbour harassment is any act or behaviour from a neighbour that disturbs peace or security, or causes unnecessary inconvenience." It's recommended to maintain a record of incidents, such as: 23/4/22 – loud music – 10.30pm to 1.30am – requested neighbour to lower music volume multiple times but was met with threats of violence, now considering legal counsel. They also noted: "There is case law for harassment, and for harassment to merit legal intervention, there must have been a 'course of conduct', or more than two related instances of harassment. The behaviour does not need to have been violent, but must have caused some alarm or distress, or have an element of oppression."
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Farmworkers now ‘belong fully' in Maine minimum wage laws
Farmworkers' exclusion from state law was 'rooted in racism,' said Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross, but updating the statute sends a message to all laborers that they 'belong fully under Maine law' and should not 'be paid poverty wages to do essential work.' (Photo by Hill Street Studios/ Getty Images) After multiple attempts in recent years, farmworkers will now have the right to state minimum wage like most other employees in Maine. Gov. Janet Mills signed the right into law on Tuesday after the Legislature passed LD 589 earlier this month. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Cumberland), described it as an act of history. The law creates a new section in state statute that affords agricultural workers the state minimum wage, which is currently $14.65 an hour, since current laws exclude them. 'Our laws now better reflect our values,' Talbot Ross said. 'There is more to do, but today, we move forward — together, and with purpose.' Talbot Ross said that exclusion from state law was 'rooted in racism,' but updating the statute sends a message to all laborers that they 'belong fully under Maine law' and should not 'be paid poverty wages to do essential work.' Many employers said the workers are already being paid minimum wage or more, but the new law will provide that all are entitled to at least that amount starting Jan. 1, 2026. It also includes provisions for yearly cost of living increases to the minimum wage, employer record keeping and penalties for violations. The newly enacted law mirrors a proposal Mills put forward last session, but ultimately vetoed after it was changed by the Legislature's Labor Committee to include a private right of action. What will now be in statute gives the Department of Labor exclusive authority to bring action on behalf of an employee for unpaid minimum hourly wages. However, the legislation also maintains any existing rights agricultural workers have. Although some argued the law still doesn't go far enough in offering farmworkers basic labor protections, agricultural and labor leaders around the state still praised the progress. 'For too long, the people who put food on our table were denied even the bare minimum: the right to the state minimum wage,' said Matt Schlobohm, executive director of Maine AFL-CIO. 'No more. With this bill signed into law, we're finally ending a two-tiered system that treated farmworkers as second-class.' The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association said the changes aren't perfect, but 'an important compromise.' Though the organization described it as 'a bare bones policy to protect the people who…ensure that we have food on our tables,' it also thanked Talbot Ross, Mills and the others involved for 'correcting an error on the law books.' A bill seeking to grant agricultural workers the right to engage in concerted activity was also sent to Mills for her approval earlier this month. She has yet to sign it. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
