What are the laws on harassment?
The Protection Against Harassment Act 1997 was designed to tackle stalkers but in recent years has been employed by individuals against the press. The Act makes it an offence to pursue a course of conduct that causes harassment which includes (but is not limited to) alarming the person or causing the person distress. The Act introduced two new criminal offences but it is the civil measure for milder cases of harassment that is most relevant to photojournalists and photographers. The lower-level offence refers to harassment which may not cause the victim to fear any violence. In 2007, representatives of Prince Charles considered using the Act to protect Kate Middleton, the girlfriend of his son Prince William, from being harassed by paparazzi photographers. The actress Sienna Millers law suit against Big Pictures UK Ltd was due to go to the High Court in 2008 but the two parties settles out of court. Miller accepted 53,000 in damages for harassment and breach of privacy and Big Pictures
