The New Hampshire Supreme court says a man convicted of kidnapping his pregnant girlfriend should not have been punished for later seeking to see the child.
Christopher Long pleaded guilty in 2013 to six crimes. Three of his prison sentences were suspended, but included the condition that he have no contact with the victim or her family.
In 2014, Long requested a parenting plan for the child. The state then imposed part of his suspended sentence saying that Long's request violated the no-contact order. Long appealed, and the state Supreme Court recently sided with him.
The justices said Long could not have reasonably understood that the no-contact provision prohibited him from exercising his constitutional right to access the courts.
