My good friend (she's siting here with me) has an abusive, violent, unstable ex. She left him, and he harassed her with sometimes as many as 50 phonecalls / texts a day, many threatening.
She went to the police and they were sympathetic.
They typed out all the texts from him on her phone. They arrested him and took his phone.
They bailed him and told him not to contact her, and she waited for a court date. What she wants is so feel safe from him.
When the court date was due, she heard form the police - via an answerphone message on her phone - that they hadn't managed to get sufficient evidence against him, the CPS had dropped it - despite them having his phone - and so all charges have been dropped. They have given him back the same phone he used to harass her on before, and he's started up again, although so far the texts are more in the vein of "I will always love you and forgive you for what you've done to me" (i.e. calling the police because he was harassing her). She's told the police he's contacting her again and they said she has to start from scratch with a new accusation of harassment.
She's scared of him and living looking over one shoulder when she goes out. He doesn't know where she lives but they're in the same town.
She doesn't understand how they could have his phone and not find evidence. And if he'd deleted all the messages surely they could ask the network provider, or access deleted messages from the phone itself (they told her they would do this)?
They've advised she go for a civil non-molestation order, but she can't afford it.
This isn't right, surely. Can anyone offer any words of advice?