TWO BRAVE WOMEN WHO WERE VICTIMS OF STALKING SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES

A WELSH police force recorded nearly 1,000 incidents of stalking in the past year, and now two women have spoken about the devastating impact stalkers had on their lives.

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Dyfed-Powys Police has shared the women's experiences, with one describing it like being in a "war-zone". Another victim said "being stalked has left me feeling like a prisoner in my own home".

With their names changed for their protection, these women have decided to share their stories so people in similar situations can recognise the signs, and act fast when they spot them.

LARA

Lara's life has been changed forever after being stalked for 12 years by a man she met only by chance and who initially seemed harmless.

Lara met David when she came across his work, and though he appeared to be friendly, his obsessive personality soon became evident. He began contacting Lara daily, making his intentions clear with notes and flowers.

David's actions soon made Lara uneasy, and when he asked her to move in with him after only a short while, she was able to persuade him to drop the idea. At least that is what she thought.

She said: "I thought that was it. However, over the following years I regularly saw his car in my town. He began to infiltrate every part of my community - shops, workplaces, schools, events, businesses. Through his work he cemented his position in my community."

Though Lara saw David in her town regularly, she felt unable to report it. She explained: "I saw him at least once a week in town, school or wherever I seemed to be, and while it scared and angered me because I couldn't understand it or work out what he was doing, I couldn't report it. It was so manipulative and clever."

Lara says that once David managed to gain the trust of people she knew, his behaviour progressed to what she calls "visible stalking".

She noticed he drove to her street repeatedly and started to park his car a few doors down from her house.