If you were involved in abusive behaviour or there was a violent incident:
- a criminal court can make a no contact order against you, or
- a family court can put no contact conditions in a family law protection order against you.
These court orders make it illegal for you to contact the other person either directly or indirectly, meaning, for example:
- no phone calls
- no written messages (such as texts, emails, direct or indirect messages or comments on social media)
- no messages sent through other people
- no visits to their home, where they work, place of worship, school, or anywhere else they might be
- no physical gestures if you run into them (for example, on the street)
If you breach (disobey) the conditions of any no contact order, you could be charged with a criminal offence and could be fined or go to jail. This is true even if the other person contacted you first or agreed to it.
