Netflix documentary stalking victims say many women have contacted them

Lia Hambly (left) and Abby Furness (right) feature in Netflix documentary Can I Tell You A Secret?

Two stalking victims from the South East said many women have contacted them following a documentary.

Lia Hambly from Kent and Abby Furness from Brighton feature in Netflix's Can I Tell You A Secret?

The documentary follows the victims of Matthew Hardy, who harassed multiple women, creating fake social media accounts to spread lies about them.

Ms Hambly said "so many women" who believed they were victims of stalking have reached out since.

Hardy, from Northwich, Cheshire, was jailed for nine years in 2022 at Chester Crown Court.

'Looking over my shoulder'

Ms Hambly and Ms Furness' stories feature in Netflix's two-part series Can I Tell You A Secret?

The victims - both in their mid-twenties - explained how Hardy would use fake accounts to message them, their family and friends.

Ms Furness told the BBC: "It turned my world upside down. It ruined my relationship with my boyfriend and my work relationships."

Ms Hambly added: "It made me not trust anyone. Whenever I went out, I just felt like I was looking over my shoulder."

As the documentary unfolds, the women discover they were not Hardy's only victims.

Ms Hambly said: "It's actually unbelievable how far his network spread across the country."

If the documentary helped "one person, then that's all that matters," she added.

Ms Furness said she felt empowered after sharing what happened to her in the documentary and added: "We are rooting for people to come forward."

Following the documentary, Cheshire Police told the BBC two additional people had come forward who believed they could be victims of Hardy's stalking.

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