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Stalked
Stalked

1. The Selfie

February 04, 2025 • 40m

Summary

⏱️ 9 min read

Overview

This podcast introduces the story of Hannah, a young woman in the fashion industry who became the target of a sophisticated stalking campaign. In 2018, after months of harassment, she reported the incidents to police, but the case was eventually closed due to lack of evidence. The series follows journalist Carol Cadwalladr, Hannah's ex-stepmother, as they work together to investigate who is behind the stalking and why it happened. The story begins with Hannah meeting a glamorous fashion industry mentor named Kin at London Fashion Week in 2015, which unknowingly set events in motion.

Hannah Reports to Police and the Case Goes Nowhere

In March 2018, 25-year-old Hannah walks into a London police station with a massive stack of printed evidence documenting months of harassment. After an hour-long interview where the officer initially jokes he thought she was crazy, Hannah begins what becomes a two-year ordeal of police visits, statements, and promises of action. Despite her persistent efforts and detailed documentation, police eventually close the case citing insufficient evidence to prove who was behind the attacks, leaving Hannah to face her stalker alone.

  • Hannah brings a huge stack of printed evidence to the police station, documenting the harassment she's experienced
  • The police officer jokes at first that he thought Hannah was crazy, nearly bringing her to tears
  • After two years of investigation, police close the case saying there's insufficient evidence to prove who's behind it
  • Hannah receives disturbing messages saying 'you look like shit,' 'too many men,' and 'there is so much to learn when one just follows you around'
" I no longer know who I can trust. I'm scared to leave the house, scared to open my phone. "
" After the police gave up I didn't know who I could trust "

Carol and Hannah's Relationship and Parallel Stories

The podcast hosts introduce themselves and their unusual relationship. Carol Cadwalladr is an investigative journalist famous for breaking the Cambridge Analytica scandal, while Hannah is her ex-stepdaughter. Carol admits she was largely oblivious to Hannah's ordeal because she was consumed by her Cambridge Analytica investigation during the same period. As they work together on this podcast, they discover unexpected parallels between Carol's work exposing Facebook's vulnerabilities and Hannah's experience being stalked through digital platforms.

  • Carol dated Hannah's father when Hannah was seven years old, and they maintained a close relationship even after the breakup
  • In 2016, Carol began investigating what would become the Cambridge Analytica Facebook scandal, which consumed her attention
  • The Cambridge Analytica story revealed how 87 million Facebook users had their data harvested and used for political targeting
  • Carol wishes she had been more present for Hannah during this period and sees the podcast as a way to make up for that
" What we have seen in Cambridge Analytica, the allegations are clearly very concerning. "
" So this was a major breach of trust, and I'm really sorry. "

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