A THIRTY-eight-year-old Carlisle man has been banned from an area of the city as part of a two year-stalking protection order.

The restriction was imposed on Joseph Albert Kerr after an application was made to Carlisle’s Rickergate court by Cumbria Police. The defendant, of Spencer Street, Carlisle, was not present in court when the case was heard.

Court papers say the basis of the application is an allegation that the defendant had carried out “acts associated with stalking.”

These allegedly included refusing to leave the victim’s home and going there uninvited as well as making repeated calls and sending messages. The restrictions which are now in force as a result of the order include:

  • An obligation to allow police to inspect his electronic devices on request, including phones and digital cameras.
  • An obligation to provide any password of PIN number for such devices.
  • A ban on contacting the protected woman in any way and a prohibition on giving her or sending her gifts.
  • The need to remove himself from an area in the event of a chance meeting with the woman.
  • And the need to comply with an exclusion zone which police have specified in order to keep Kerr away from the protected woman.

Flouting any of these conditions would amount to a criminal offence and could result in a jail term, the court warned. The defendant was not legally represented during the hearing. The order will expire at midnight on September 19, 2026.

Court papers say the defendant consented to the order being made.