My stalking hell left me fearing for my life, now I’m warning other women
THE first horrific message arrived when Sara Manchipp checked her Facebook on the train.
Sara, from Neath, was on her way to work seven years ago when she was shocked by a message from an unknown account.
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In this exclusive interview, Sara, 34, says: “It was a full paragraph – a story.
“At first I started laughing because I thought it was a sick joke.
“But the more I read, I realized it was actually someone who was quite confused.
“I felt like they wanted to hurt me.
‘I felt like this was completely different from any other messages I had received before.
“It was the first time I really felt vulnerable and scared.”
The message contained a morbid description of rape, murder and necrophilia, which Fabulous considers too explicit to publish.
Shocked, the former Miss Wales wondered if it was part of some strange chain mail or a cruel joke being passed around.
In an attempt to find out, the event’s promotional ambassador took a screenshot of it and posted it to her Facebook page.
When friends contacted her to warn her this was concerning, she realized she was specifically being targeted.
“I started to panic; my heart started pounding out of my chest and I felt sick,” she recalls.
Later, more messages arrived from different accounts, but with the same tone.
The writer – who she assumed was a man – would recount details of Sara’s life.
He knew where she lived and that she was near the sea, and sent disgusting, threatening messages describing fantasies of drowning her.
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The messages became more frequent and included details about her family, her education and her vacations.
“I remember feeling more and more vulnerable,” she says.
“This didn’t seem like a random person contacting someone on the internet.
“It felt like a personal vendetta; that he was out to hurt me. I felt very threatened by it.”
Sara began to suspect everyone; her friends, her neighbors, even people she had known for years, and she became hyper-vigilant.
Naively, I never thought this would happen to me
Sara Manchipp
“If I saw a man, I would feel a little sick because I would think, ‘Is it you sending these messages?'” she says.
“There was no peace for me. It’s been a terrible few months.”
She eventually spoke to police, who took her concerns seriously and advised her to report any new messages she received from the stalker.
“Every time, two police officers were at my door within an hour,” she says.
“I can’t remember how many times because he kept messaging me all night long.
“I’m so grateful that the police took it seriously because when he sent these messages, I was often alone and it was night. For all I knew, he could have been watching me from the street.”
The police tracked down the perpetrator and discovered that he was targeting other women.
He admitted offenses against ten women, was jailed for two and a half years and is now subject to a restraining order.
“I was happy at the time that he was going to prison. Only afterwards did I think that sentence was not long enough,” she says.
“For the number of girls and women he terrorized – a month each – that is terrible.
“I am pleased that the matter has gone to court and that it has been taken seriously, but I do think there should have been a stronger deterrent.”
What should you do if you suspect you are being stalked?
Tony Neate, CEO of Get Safe Online, told Sun Online: “The perpetrators typically obtain details about you from online information about personal and financial affairs, social and professional life, relationships and your location.
To start, make sure that only the minimum information about you is available online and take stalking seriously.
Report it before it has serious consequences for you and others and keep track of everything that happens so you can gather evidence as it happens.
Visit for expert advice Go online safely.”
Sara is now warning her friends and family to be careful what they post online.
“Naive, I never thought this would happen to me,” she says.
“It was quite a shock and it really opened my eyes to the dangers of what you post on social media.
“The whole experience has made me much more careful about things like checking in when I go to a gym or restaurant, and sharing information about my family or vacations I’ve had.
“I now realize that someone can be a friend on Facebook, but they may not have my best interests in mind.
“I was a very trusting person, I saw the good in everyone. I think that may have been my downfall.
“There are dangerous people out there. So now I protect myself in the best way possible by securing my online presence.
“I also always challenge all my friends to let them know not to share that, or not to check in here all the time.
“Just remember that your life is your own and it should be private, and you don’t have to share everything because, to be honest, the world doesn’t need to know everything about you.”
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