Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Entertainment
Gemma Jones

Woman's distressing 999 call as stalker ex approaches her car with note

Stacey Dooley debuted her latest documentary tonight which showed her working alongside Cheshire Police to investigate stalkers.

In the two part show, Stacey embeds herself with a specialist police unit in Cheshire and a victim support organisation - both dedicated to stopping stalking from escalating into life changing violence, or even murder.

In the first episode, which aired on BBC One tonight, Stacey explored ex-partner stalking - the most common type of stalking behaviour.

READ MORE: The Apprentice contestant Shama Amin has quit the show

In it, we saw several victims of stalking who were harassed by their ex partners.

One victim, 28-year-old Claire, was being stalked by an ex who claimed he was trying to win her back.

Her ex, Luke, begged her to get back with him by approaching her car and leaving a note on the windscreen.

The episode included Claire's distressing phone call to the police as Luke was approaching her, where she could be heard shouting: "Get away!" as she cried, before she told operators he was heading towards her car.

On the phone to the police, Claire said: "He won't give up and I think it's going to end badly."

Luke had left a note on her car which was an apology for his behaviour, and once he was arrested he claimed that he was just heartbroken.

In the letter he admitted that he still slept with one of Claire's hairclips near him just so he could "still be with her in some small way".

It was the police's job to prove that Luke's actions amounted to harassment.

He later appeared in court, charged with stalking, but he pleaded not guilty.

This meant that Claire's hell was far from over as she would have to face him in court.

The show ended by giving an update which stated Luke was found guilty of stalking Claire and was given a five year restraining order as well as 240 hours of unpaid work.

Throughout the documentary, Stacey discovers that even when victims think stalking is over, it often isn’t.

Speaking about the programme, Stacey said: "Prior to these films, I perhaps hadn’t taken into account just how truly devastating and life-changing stalking can be.

"Victims are often forced to change their lives entirely and often likened their normality to simply ‘existing’... These survivors deserve to be heard and prioritised."

The second episode will focus on stranger stalking investigating how to stop stalking long term and whether prison or therapy works better to solve the issue.

Stacey Dooley: Stalkers is available on iPlayer

Receive newsletters with the biggest and breaking TV and showbiz news by signing up here

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.