Real life Baby Reindeer victims urged to speak out

Kent Police have urged male victims of stalking to report offences

This article includes plot details of the Netflix series Baby Reindeer

Male stalking victims are being urged to report offences following the success of the television show Baby Reindeer.

The hit Netflix dark comedy, which has topped the streaming services charts in the UK and US, depicts the true story of a stalker who harasses comedian Donny, played by series writer Richard Gadd.

Kent Police said there was 346 reports of stalking in the county in the past month, of which 75 were made by men.

Det Ch Supt Emma Banks said: “Men don’t expect to be stalked and it’s not so widely reported on, which is why Baby Reindeer was such a good programme to shine a light on that very important area.”

Baby Reindeer started life as a one-man stage show written by Mr Gadd, which he performed at the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The television series depicts Mr Gadd's own experience of having a stalker in real life.

Ms Banks, head of Kent Police’s protecting vulnerable people command, said men are less likely to report being stalked over fears of not being taken seriously.

“Stalking can have a devastating impact. I think anyone who has watched Baby Reindeer can see that,” she told BBC Radio Kent.

“The victim in the programme didn’t get a brilliant response from the police, but I can assure people out there that you will get a much more positive response.”

She added that men often take longer to report stalking, which can mean evidential opportunities may be lost.

Baby Reindeer depicts the true story of a stalker who harasses a comedian

Mr Gadd recently asked fans to stop speculating about the real-life identities of its characters.

Fans began to speculate about the identity of the stalker, as well as that of a male TV writer who is depicted in the series as raping Mr Gadd's character.

Steps were taken to prevent identification, including by using pseudonyms for the names of the characters, but some real-life figures have notified police after viewers linked them with the programme.

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