February 21st 2024.
Abby Furness was a young woman with a bright future ahead of her. She had a fulfilling job as a fire breather and singer, just returned from a dream holiday in Ibiza, and was happily in love with her first boyfriend. Life seemed perfect for Abby, until Matthew Hardy came into the picture.
It was 2019 when Abby's world was turned upside down. At first, she received worried messages from friends about messages they had supposedly received from her. Initially, they thought she had been hacked, but soon Abby started receiving direct messages from fake accounts pretending to be her. These accounts would flirt with her friends and family members, causing arguments and hurt feelings.
To make matters worse, Abby's boyfriend also became distant. He showed her screenshots of flirty messages supposedly sent by her, leading to their eventual breakup. Abby was devastated and couldn't understand what was happening.
The strange incidents continued to occur, causing Abby a lot of embarrassment and discomfort. In one instance, her boss even received sexy photos and flirtatious messages from someone pretending to be Abby on WhatsApp. This led to her feeling unsafe at work and ultimately resigning from her job.
Desperate to put an end to the torment, Abby turned to the police for help. However, the incidents continued for two years, leaving her feeling overwhelmed and constantly on edge. She even tried to figure out who was behind the fake accounts by testing her friends and family, but to no avail.
Things took a turn for the worst when Abby announced on Instagram that she was going away on holiday. In response, her stalker sent her a threatening message, causing her to become even more fearful and anxious. She reported this to the police, but they were unable to provide immediate assistance.
Unbeknownst to Abby, she was being targeted by Britain's worst online stalker, Matthew Hardy. He had been targeting women all over the country, creating fake profiles and sending deceitful messages to create rifts amongst their families and friends. Abby was just one of his many victims, and her story is featured in the Netflix documentary "Can I Tell You A Secret?"
The documentary also features other victims of Hardy's psychological warfare, including Zoe and Lia, who were also relentlessly targeted by him. Eventually, Hardy was caught and sentenced to nine years in prison, the longest sentence for online stalking in British history.
Even though Hardy is now behind bars, Abby still struggles with the trauma and fear caused by his actions. She no longer feels like the carefree and happy person she used to be, and the experience has changed her forever. She is disgusted by Hardy's behavior and believes he is a nasty and manipulative person.
Abby's story serves as a reminder of the dangers of online stalking and the impact it can have on someone's life. She hopes that by sharing her story, she can raise awareness and prevent others from falling victim to similar experiences.
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