Stalker put Scots woman through more than 'four years of terror'

A Scottish woman has revealed how a stalker put her through more than “four years of terror” in a new documentary.

The woman, referred to as Louise to protect her anonymity, spent thousands getting a non-harassment order against her former business partner, only for it to be breached immediately.

Louise said she experienced around 40 incidents before she began reporting them to police.

“The police told me to get a non-harassment order, it cost me £9,000, I had to re-mortgage my house, and he just completely ignored it.

“Within the first eight days it had been breached. He was arrested for those breaches but he was just given a ticking off and he was released on bail.”

“You feel as though you are stuck between a rock and a hard place because you’ve got the stalker on one side threatening you, and you’ve got the police on the other side, maybe not necessarily believing you,” she said.

Louise shared that her stalker “sought revenge” after she pulled out of a business that was making money.

“I think that he started stalking me because he’s a very tough, macho man and it’s his way or the high way.”

The stalking began with her former colleague waiting outside her house and sending threatening messages.

“The first stalking episode he was waiting outside my house, he was sending unwanted messages. Threats… smear campaigns, his friends were contacting me.

“He’d been watching me, he knew when I was at home, he knew when my children were at home.”

Louise described the experience like “living in a war zone” adding that she thought she was going to be killed every day.

After three years of reporting and multiple court hearings, her stalker pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to nine months in jail but was released after 100 days.

Louise’s story will feature on Stalking: State of Fear, a new documentary that will air on STV at 9pm on Tuesday.