Woman describes stalker neighbour's campaign of harassment

A woman has described how she was left "scared and confused" by a neighbour who subjected her to a three-month campaign of stalking and harassment.

Jess was the first person from the Thames Valley to be supported by charity Aurora New Dawn, which helps women and children who suffer abuse.

She told the BBC the service fought for her during court proceedings that ultimately led to her obtaining a restraining order and compensation.

Jess has now moved to a different town.

The 24-year-old was living in a flat in Buckinghamshire in 2021 when her upstairs neighbour Ben Ayre began persistently sending her texts.

Ben Ayre was captured on CCTV repeatedly coming to Jess's door

Jess tried to ignore him, but Ayre was later captured on CCTV repeatedly coming to her door.

"I thought to myself 'if I don't answer the door, he'd get the message and he'll stop' - but he didn't," she said.

"Three months of daily knocks on the door, text messages - there was fear throughout.

"There was not a day when I was not scared or worried or anxious about what was going to happen, if there was going to be a knock that day or he was going to take it up a notch and do something worse."

Ayre left her strange gifts - his old red trainers and some scratch cards - and she would hear her door handle rattle as he lingered outside.

Ayre left strange gifts for Jess, including a pair of red trainers

Then, one night, when Jess had not locked the front door properly, he just walked in.

She said: "My bedroom door was directly opposite my front door - he was bang in the middle of the hallway, about five metres in just staring dead at me.

"I was angry. I was scared. I was confused."

Jess's partner chased him out.

But despite making it clear to her stalker his attention was unwanted and scaring her, Ayre would not stop.

Jess tried to reason with Ayre to stop him from stalking her

Police took the matter seriously and it later transpired this was not Ayre's first offence - but Jess was daunted by the prospect of facing him in court.

This is where Aurora New Dawn, a charity that was founded in Portsmouth, stepped in.

Jess was their first case in the Thames Valley and the charity got her permission to give evidence via video link rather than in person at court.

The service, paid for by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, has so far helped almost 100 people in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.

It had already been supporting stalking victims in Hampshire and the armed forces for some time.

Shonagh Dillon, CEO of Aurora New Dawn, told the BBC that more stalkers needed to be brought to justice

Shonagh Dillon, CEO of Aurora New Dawn, said there were not currently enough convictions and that more stalkers needed to be brought to justice.

"It's about obsession and fixation," she said.

"Offenders of stalking do not give up easily and therefore we need to be around to be able to support victims in the long-term."

Jess said she believed the support provided by the service would save lives.

"If I hadn't got out of the situation, I dread to imagine what would've happened," she said.

The Crown Prosecution Service initially refused to take Jess's case forward and it took appeals from both the police and Jess to get the decision overturned.

Ayre was found guilty of one charge of stalking involving serious alarm or distress at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court in September last year.

He was sentenced to an 18-month community order, 100 hours of unpaid work, 30 rehabilitation sessions and an indefinite restraining order. He was also ordered to pay Jess £600 in compensation.