Woman stalked by ex-husband shares story after Wiltshire-charity support
Poppy - which isn't her real name - is encouraging others to reach out for help too
A woman who was stalked by her ex-husband is sharing her story after being supported by a Wiltshire-based charity.
Poppy - which isn't her real name - went to FearFree for help and is encouraging others being harassed to reach out for help.
She says it all started after splitting from her husband.
"It started with him spreading rumours, making people question my mental health and my ability to look after our children," she said.
He then started to turn up at her house: "There was no reason for him to be there and I reported it to the police, but he always denied it and made out that I was trying to get him in trouble."
This led to Poppy moving her and her children away, but her ex-husband still kept turning up outside school or at the shops. It transpired that he'd been using trackers to find her.
He then started bombarding Poppy with emails, which left Poppy in a feeling of total despair.
"He would send so many emails every single day – threatening me and refusing to believe that I could live without him," she said, adding: "He’d send letters, leave notes for me to find around the house and ask other people to pass on messages.
"There was no escape I was scared, and I felt powerless."
After being put in touch with FearFree, things improved for Poppy.
"For the first time I felt listened to and that somebody understood. They helped me to create a safety plan and supported me with reporting things to the police. I stopped being afraid that I wouldn’t be believed," she said.
Eventually, the case went to court, with Poppy's ex-husband being handed a jail sentence and a restraining order.
"I felt so relieved, but I still worry that he won’t give in and that he will come back one day. I could not have done this without FearFree, they gave me the courage and strength to keep going," Poppy said.