I was targeted by Netflix's "worst ever" cyberstalker - it destroyed my marriage

A mum who says she was targeted the stalker who featured in a popular Netflix documentary claims the ordeal shattered her marriage. Kristen Dugdale, 31, says she suffered under the torment of Matthew Hardy — known as Britain's most notorious cyberstalker — who received a nine-year prison sentence for stalking involving fear of violence and harassment after violating a restraining order in January 2022.

According to Kristen, her first encounter with Hardy was via an anonymous message on Instagram in February 2019. Kristen says that this marked the beginning of a two-year nightmare wherein she faced accusations from Hardy of being unfaithful with her then-husband's father and discovered her photos being misused to sell adult material.

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Kristen claims that Hardy barraged her with anonymous calls and offensive comments, even going so far as to call her "disgusting" and jeering that she should "stick to taking your clothes off".

The attack caused Kristen to become suspicious of those in her circle, eroding trust and eventually contributing to the deterioration of her relationship. Although she reported the abuse to the authorities, it persisted until Hardy's arrest in February 2020; he was formally charged in March 2021.

Kristen wasn't part of the legal proceedings at Cheshire Crown Court, where Hardy pleaded guilty to the crimes against nine victims, but police have confirmed that she was indeed one of Hardy's numerous targets, reports Cheshire Live.

Hardy, known for creating a plethora of fake social media accounts, is believed to have preyed on 63 individuals over an 11-year span, reports suggest. Essex-based mum-of-one Kristen recounted being haunted by his messages: "He contacted me on my modelling Instagram account that I used for networking and posed as a woman from Manchester."

"I didn't recognise the account handle or anything at all. I was scared for my life at one point," she revealed.

Kristen's experiences took a toll on her personal life as well: "I lost my confidence and my trust in people around me."

"I ended up getting into a lot of arguments with my ex over it. It affected our relationship and was a contributing factor to the breakdown of our marriage."

The stalking not only impacted her private life but also her career: "I was so affected, I had to quite my job as a model."

The financial repercussions were significant, as she expressed: "I miss modelling not just because I loved it but I also got paid - so I've lost a financial element too."

Before identifying Hardy as the culprit, the situation bred paranoid thoughts: "Before I knew it was Hardy sending me these messages - this random person from a place I had never been to - I was questioning everyone around me."

Kristen, who once thrived as a model, tells of her initial interaction with Hardy in early February 2019 when he made contact via Instagram anonymously, insinuating she had hooked up with her ex-husband’s best mate. Things quickly spiralled out of control resulting in Kristen receiving persistent phone calls and hateful messages from unknown numbers, along with instances of menacing silence or heavy breathing during calls.

Kristen claims to have experienced a pattern of online and personal harassment that escalated to an unbearable level. She says she received threatening texts, was body-shamed as "fat", and suffered the creation of fake social media profiles using her images, some purportedly advertising adult content.

These impostor accounts reached out to photographers she'd worked with and former classmates. The stalker, Hardy, who seemed to know intimate details about her friends and family, even attempted to organize a fake photoshoot, sending inappropriate messages through a known photographer.

His knowledge of personal connections, including names of her ex-husband's friends and their partners, led Kristen to believe the harasser was someone from her real life.

The situation worsened when Hardy contacted people from his own Facebook, directly messaging Kristen and her ex-partner's father with unspeakable accusations. Kristen says that her ordeal with Hardy continued despite reporting him to Wiltshire Police in September 2019.

It was not until Hardy's arrest that the relentless campaign of abuse ceased. He was eventually convicted on January 26, 2022, at Cheshire Crown Court for stalking involving fear of violence and for harassing nine other individuals, resulting in a breach of a restraining order.

This conviction followed an investigation led by PC Kevin Anderson of the Cheshire Police.

Kristen recounted her haunting final encounter with the cyberstalker on October 26, 2020, where upon revealing to him that she had alerted the authorities, he queried why they had not arrested him before, given they had evidence. The ordeal has left a lasting impact, with Kristen admitting: "It was so scary at that time – I started accusing people I knew, I didn't trust anyone."

"He seemed to know loads of really personal stuff about me, it was just awful, he alienated me from trusting some of my ex-partner's friends and even family."

"I found it strange in the end how he didn't even conceal his identity – it was like he wanted to get caught but thought he was invincible and nothing would happen."

"The last thing I said to him is I wouldn't stop until he was in jail."

Reacting to the stalker's sentence, she expressed surprise but satisfaction, saying, "I was very shocked by how high his sentence was – people do worse things and get less time, so I was happy with the sentence."

"But there was no urgency to my case. I felt like there were so many hoops to jump through to get anywhere."

"This needs to be stopped in its tracks before it gets to such a serious level, [the police] waited until it got really bad."

She also touched upon the disbelief she encountered when she identified the perpetrator: "When I found out [it was Hardy], I told the police it was him and they didn't believe me, it felt like I had to do their job for them, and they couldn't do anything until something serious happened."

"People need to be aware, and police need to take this kind of thing a bit more seriously."

Kristen also offered advice to those who might be facing similar situations: "To anyone experiencing cyberstalking, report it as soon as you can."

"Keep as much evidence as possible and if more happens, make sure to keep it because the more you have, the easier it is to find who they are."

"Don't let it drop because sick people like Hardy have no right to ruin another person's life."

Police Constable Kevin Anderson from Northwich Local Policing Unit confirmed Kristen was a victim of Hardy’s. He remarked: "Having led on this case for more than 18 months I have seen the emotional distress and turmoil that Hardy has inflicted on his victims – he did all of this while hiding behind his computer screen."

"The impact on those affected by his actions has been immense, causing some of them to change some of their daily habits, and live in constant fear that they were being watched."

"On other occasions, it caused them to lose trust in their friends and family members, and even led to the breakdown of long-term relationships."

"Thankfully, Hardy has now been held accountable for his actions, and his online activity has finally been brought to a stop."

"I hope that the conclusion of this case will provide some closure for his victims and enable them to rebuild and move forward with their lives."