Red flags missed in neo-Nazi stalker, say victims

Mercy Muroki feels police probably would have taken it more seriously if it was Islamic terrorism.

Three women stalked by the same man say police ignored red flags that resulted in repeat offending.

Far-right supporter Callum Parslow, who had already served time for stalking, was jailed earlier this month for attempted murder.

Mercy Muroki, one of those speaking out against him, said she had "no doubt" he would have tried to kill her if he had her address.

Police said any victim who was dissatisfied with the service they received should make a formal complaint.

Warning: This story contains language which some readers might find upsetting

The three women were each contacted by Parslow on anonymous online accounts between 2017 and 2023.

He sent personal and graphic messages about rape, necrophilia and violence.

Ms Muroki, a political commentator and former GB News presenter, received racist and sexist messages in 2023.

"The most concerning was where he talked about how no self respecting paedophile would touch my daughter, and it was a racist comment," she said.

Parslow shared extremist, neo-Nazi, racist and anti-Semitic views online

The police advised her to block the accounts but, after doing so for a while, she then ignored their advice.

"I could see his behaviour was escalating and that every time I blocked him he was still going to find a new way to contact me and I was worried, where would that end?"

West Mercia Police said in December 2023 Callum Parslow was arrested on suspicion of racially or religiously aggravated harassment.

Parslow was released on bail but, at the time, Ms Muroki still did not know his identity.

"At that point I felt most unsafe because he knew he was potentially going back to prison and he knew I was the reason for it," she said.

She asked police if he was a physical threat to her or her daughter, but she feels they dismissed her concerns.

"Police said he was a bit of a loner and didn't have access to a car, so it was very unlikely that he would have the means to physically access me.

"The point wasn't the ease that he could get to me, it was could he?"

Ms Muroki said, while one female officer went above and beyond, she felt some male officers were insensitive and did not take far-right content on his account as seriously as they should have.

While on bail, Parslow, from Worcester, went on to stab an asylum seeker in what the sentencing judge said was "undoubtedly a terrorist attack".

At Woolwich Crown Court on 17 January, Parslow was given a minimum prison term of 22 years and eight months for attempted murder.

Parslow also pleaded guilty to offences connected to Mercy's case which included a sexual offence and two charges of sending electronic communications with intent to cause distress and anxiety.

This was not the first conviction for Parslow, who was jailed in 2018 for 30 months for seven counts of stalking and causing fear of violence, and three counts of sending indecent or offensive communications.

He sent "sexually graphic and extremely violent" messages to 13 different women.

BBC Wales spoke to two of them, who found out about his recent conviction in news articles but were "shocked" to see him using a different surname.

Sara Manchipp, from Port Talbot, said: "I was just totally flabbergasted that somebody who has caused so much torment and distress in our lives, could just come out of prison, have a new identity and just go on to reoffend."

She said she should have been notified of his name change and reoffending.

"I was upset and angry as I feel we had a right to know, he had a massive effect on our lives but the victims are still living with the trauma he caused, and in this case it was totally wrong."

Sophie - not her real name - now struggles with PTSD as a result of the ordeal and said it was triggering to see Parslow again in the news.

"The police completely dismissed me when I reported his behaviour in 2017 and again it feels like my safety has been ignored," she said.

In December 2024, the Home Office introduced new stalking measures which included changes to Stalking Protection Orders requiring police to be informed of name or address changes, with failure to do so being a criminal offence.

But Mercy, Sara and Sophie felt this should go further to ensure victims were notified.

PCC Katy Bourne would like to see a stalking register introduced to protect victims

Katy Bourne, police and crime commissioner for Sussex, is the lead for stalking in Wales and England and has also been a victim of stalking herself.

She said, in this case, she felt police missed red flags, adding: "There are high harm indicators - like online exposure, previous offending and far-right material.

"If the police had really looked and joined up those dots they'd see a much greater pattern of risk and potential harm there."

Ms Bourne supported the calls for a change in legislation, describing a convicted stalker changing their identity as "effectively putting on a disguise to enable you to probably do the same thing again".

She said a stalking register which would allow police to monitor perpetrators and prioritise victims' safety in the same way as is already done for other sexual offences.

It is an idea that has been debated by government several times, most recently in 2021 during the introduction of the domestic abuse bill, however it was rejected.

The Home Office said it had announced six new measures to tackle stalking, including Right to Know statutory guidance to help victims know who was stalking them online.

West Mercia Police said it carried out an investigation into Parslow which "progressed at pace and remained ongoing" at the time of the attempted murder.

The force "praised the bravery of his victims" and added it would "encourage anyone who is dissatisfied with the service they have received from West Mercia Police to make a formal complaint, and this will be investigated".

If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this story, support and advice is available via the BBC Action Line.