A Dutch woman has been banned from Devon for life after subjecting a family to a relentless campaign of harassment. Nicoline Julius, 54, sent multiple messages and repeatedly ignored court orders to stop pestering the Teignmouth-based family.
Exeter Crown Court heard that the family had initially taken pity on Julius and tried to help her with accommodation issues after meeting her on a course in Ireland. However, she refused to leave them alone, causing major stress and anxiety. Julius was given a caution in 2019 and told to stay away, but she began ignoring restraining orders, sending text messages, and even dropping off an envelope in 2022 containing what she claimed was gold worth £1,800.
The family contacted police, but Julius continued to bombard them with emails. With a court case looming, she carried on messaging about 'betrayal' and said she would 'play Gandhi' and park outside their house until they spoke to her. She accused the family of lying to get her into trouble and was arrested for the final time in September 2025.
At Exeter Crown Court, Julius was jailed for two years. When the judge delivered his verdict, she threw herself to the ground and began sobbing. Her lawyer, Kathleen Purshouse, said Julius had autism and is prone to focus on particular details, which can be seen as obsessive. Purshouse argued that Julius was not driven by an intention to cause serious harm, adding that she now lives on a plot of land with her children in Ireland.
In a statement, the father of the family said: 'We were worried we would never get her off our backs or be rid of her. We are not friends. She has no reason to contact us. We offered her help once and have regretted it ever since. The harassment has been relentless.' He added that Julius had wasted the time of the police, the court and the family, and said: 'None of us has any interest in Nicoline Julius, and her visits to our home were very unnerving and worrying. She was too much. She just has no boundaries.'
Judge Stephen Climie said: 'Those who are made subject to court orders – if they choose to breach them – they must be sent to prison. Otherwise, those orders have little if any real effect or impact.' He imposed a further restraining order lasting the rest of her life, banning her from contacting the family or entering Devon.
