Online stalker from Cheshire focus of new Netflix true crime documentary

A new Netflix crime documentary will retell the story of a prolific cyber stalker from Northwich, Cheshire.

Can I Tell You A Secret? will land on the streaming site on February 21st and tells the story of Matthew James Hardy – Britain’s most prolific cyber stalker.

Hardy was sentenced to nine years in prison for five counts of stalking, the longest custodial term in British history for online stalking.

Between 2016 and 2021, Hardy infiltrated the social media accounts of women, using fake profiles so he could befriend his victims online.

Targeting mostly young women, he would then spread lies about them to create rifts among their families and friends.

On one occasion Hardy pretended to be a small business owner and on another, he spread false rumours about a woman having a sexual relationship with her father-in-law.

He also told a woman that her late mother had been cheating on her father, and taunted her by telling her he was going to speak to her dad. And he told another woman’s fiancé, on their wedding day, that she had cheated on him.

Judge Everette said Hardy had an ‘innate criminality’, highlighted by his ‘sophisticated’ form of harassment. “Over a period of five or years, you conducted a campaign principally against young women who I am sure you researched on social media,” he said.

“They had done nothing to harm you – most, if not all, did not know who you were. You chose them at random and they had to pay for it with sheer misery.”

“You sat there in your room, wherever you were, and you deliberately sent these spiteful messages. It’s difficult to imagine the fear and shock and worry that you caused to your victims and their families,” he added.

Following the sentencing on January 26th, 2022, PC Kevin Anderson from Northwich Local Policing Unit, said: “Having led on this case for more than 18 months I have seen the emotional distress and turmoil that Hardy has inflicted on his victims – he did all of this while hiding behind his computer screen.”

The two-part miniseries explores three of the women’s experiences, the police investigation, and how Hardy was ultimately brought to justice.

The first part will relive the impact Hardy’s actions had on his victims as he reigned terror on their lives from behind his screen and keyboard.

The second part will see PC Kevin Anderson, who was assigned to the case in 2019, as he finds over 100 complaints made from 62 victims on Cheshire’s systems alone. The episode focuses on the evidence that eventually leads authorities to Hardy’s home in Forest Place, Northwich.

Can I Tell You A Secret? is available to stream on Netflix from Wednesday, February 21st.

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