A 31-year-old man from Longhedge has been sentenced to two years in prison for stalking and breaching a restraining order, following persistent harassment of his victim.
Josh Clift of Davies Road was sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court on 4 June after pleading guilty to stalking, breaching a restraining order, and sharing intimate images without consent, causing significant distress.
Repeated Harassment Leads To Court
Clift repeatedly sent abusive and threatening messages to his victim, including daily communications in February that ranged from declarations of love to explicit threats. After these actions, the victim obtained a non-molestation order, later replaced by a restraining order following further breaches confirmed earlier in 2026.
Sharing Intimate Material
In February, Clift escalated his campaign by sharing a video of the victim in an intimate state, compounding the harassment. The victim’s attempts to block him on social media were repeatedly circumvented by Clift using alternative platforms.
Police Tribute To Victims Courage
“Clift was relentless in his attempts to contact the victim, sending multiple messages every day, which ranged from being abusive, proclaiming his love for her and threatening her,” said Local Crime Investigator Cantillon from the Volume Crime Team. “His persistent offending led to his victim feeling extremely distressed, anxious and unsafe. Nobody should be made to feel this way.”
“I’d like to pay tribute to the victim who has shown real strength in reporting her ordeal to police – without her support, Clift would have continued to offend. I am glad the courts have handed him a custodial sentence – this shows the serious nature of this type of offending and that it will not be tolerated.”
Extended Restraining Order
Alongside the two-year prison sentence, Clift’s restraining order has been extended by 10 years to prevent any future contact with the victim.
Originally published by UKNIP.
