Obsessive stalker sent 600 calls a day

When Joanna* agreed to date a man who was also coming out of a broken marriage, she never expected to end up feeling like a prisoner in her own home rejecting almost 600 calls a day from an obsessive stalker. And when the police finally took action – after months of reports and complaints – she was shocked to realise that the only consequence for his actions would be a fine payable to the courts. Her relationship with John* began in 2010. She told him she was not prepared for anything serious but would be happy to engage in a platonic friendship. Two months later, she realised he wanted more so she started to take a step back and cut him off slowly. However, she soon began to realise he was not letting go and he had begun keeping an eye on her movements. “He created fake profiles on Facebook to speak to me and see whether I was meeting anyone else. He also started to send me SMSs to tell me he saw me having coffee at this place or that,” says Joanna, a hairdresser aged 42. Eventually she changed her mobile number and made sure to keep it a secret except from family and close friends. “But he soon found a way to get it. I suspect he knew someone at the telephone company,” she...