Featured Image Credit: Channel 4
Topics: Crime, True Crime, Police, TV And Film, Channel 4
Jen Thomas
Warning: This article discusses stalking, violence and sexual assault and some readers may find it distressing
A new documentary has left viewers horrified for a number of reasons, after a woman was stalked and threatened with rape.
Channel 4 aired the documentary Catching My Stalker, and it featured the brave victim Grace revealing everything she went through because of her stalker, Karl Chads.
Terrifyingly, Grace had only met Chads three times before he started a campaign of horrifying abuse, stalking her and making threats against her and her boyfriend Daryl.
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It all came to a head with him screaming down the phone that he would rape her, before eventually turning up to her house and breaking in.
Grace bravely shared her story for the documentary, and explained how she had just turned 30, when Karl, 40, joined her company, and they met once at a meeting in May 2023.
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In October 2023, Grace and her team went for afternoon tea at the Ritz, and days later he asked if he could text her about a project.
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But the texts soon took on a sinister quality, veering from calling Grace 'heart-stoppingly beautiful' to a 'common sl*t'.
He said he wanted to take her boyfriend's 'place', before texting: "Next time, make it clear if the deal is ‘Karl opens his wallet, Grace opens her legs.'"
He continued to send her abuse and tried to cause problems at work.
Viewers were left in disbelief when Grace revealed she contacted the police and they said they couldn't do anything, because she had never explicitly told him to stop contacting her.
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Grace realised she couldn't block Karl, as if she did, she wouldn't have evidence to take to the police.
She managed to collect screengrabs and voice notes, and a police sergeant said they would charge Karl.
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Two weeks later she received a parcel and a note from Karl, which read: “I thought we had the potential to develop into a friendship and a relationship one day," signed with his name.
Grace's flat was decorated with skull ornaments, and inside the parcel was a £190 skull wallet from Alexander McQueen - chilling proof that Karl knew her address and knew what her flat looked like inside.
“All I could do to defend myself was report it to the police,” she said. “I tried to get a restraining order from the police. They said no, because I wasn’t an ex."
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Things escalated to the point that when Karl heard Daryl's voice on one of his harassing calls, he screamed: "You pr**k, you don’t know who you’re dealing with.
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“I will blow your brains out. I will rape your girlfriend in front of you, you f**king c**t.”
He then called another 40 times in one hour with threats to kill and rape.
Police then made a terrifying call: Karl had broken into Grace's flat, with the doorbell camera showing him hammering on the door before trying to kick it in.
He smashed a window and broke in, then stole her journal.
One viewer ranted: “It’s dealt with now', but she could have died??? It was by pure chance. 'At the end of the day no one’s hurt', no thanks to the police force. Absolutely poor failings on show. Thank god her and her partner were on the ball and safeguarded themselves."
"I just watched @Channel4 #CatchingMyStalker. I hope @HertsPolice referred themselves and that those officers receive more training. Also, it seems that calling 101 isn't the way!" added another.
"Can we please believe victims of stalking and take these dangerous situations seriously from Day 1?" pleaded one viewer.
"Watched Catching my Stalker on Channel 4, absolutely wild what that girl went through and how unarsed the police are. She’s lucky she didn’t end up dead," fumed one.
At 3am, Karl returned, and thankfully police arrested him.
He had turned up with two glasses, a bottle of wine and seven extra-lube condoms.
He was finally charged with two counts of stalking, two burglaries, property damage, and trespassing to commit a relevant sexual offence.
He pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to eight years and three months in prison.
The stalker was also given an indefinite restraining order and made to sign the sex offenders register.
Hertfordshire Constabulary told the makers of the Channel 4 documentary: "The constabulary recognises the significant harm that stalking causes and that, in this case, the force's initial response to the reports did not meet the required standards.
"Last year the constabulary initiated a significant piece of work to improve our response to stalking including training for frontline offices and investigators including the use of stalking protection orders (SPOs).
"Stalking reports are reviewed daily as a priority and all frontline officers and staff will be attending training which is facilitated by survivors of domestic abuse to improve victim care."