Police successfully apply for stalking protection order against William Smith, 80, from Speen,

MAGISTRATES have granted an interim stalking protection order against a pensioner.

Defendant William Smith appeared at Reading Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, February 6, after police applied for the order to protect a woman.

The 80-year-old, of Marshalls Court, Speen, was said to “pose a risk associated with stalking to another person” and magistrates felt “there is reasonable cause to believe the proposed order is necessary to protect another from such a risk”.

A full hearing has been scheduled for a date in July.

Meanwhile, however, magistrates made an interim stalking protection order until the final determination of the application.

The court ruled as follows: “Upon hearing from counsel for the applicant and from the defendant, and upon the court being satisfied that the conditions in section 5 of the Stalking Protection Act 2019 are met and that it is appropriate to make a stalking protection order.”

Under its terms, Smith is forbidden from attending Lynette Puttick’s home and from contacting her, either directly or indirectly.

The interim order will last until the full hearing.