‘I used to be stalked in real-life Baby Reindeer for 13 years – life was a dwelling hell’

A woman who suffered at the hands of a stalker has said the events depicted in the hit Netflix show Baby Reindeer are an accurate portrayal of what it was like – and it made her life a living hell.

Lindsey Goldrick Dean, 54 went on a few dates with Paul Curran, who she met online through a dating app, but then broke things off. The mum of one from South Somerset was sent a box of ashes, websites made about her, had her emails hacked and Twitter accounts created pretending to be her as part of the 13-year-long stalking campaign.

A 2018 high-court case later saw her receive an undisclosed sum in damages, but she has now spoken out about the impact the experience had on her.

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She said: “I could definitely relate to the emotional toll of the harassment he receives from someone he met in what was an accidental or innocent way and it quickly escalates, which is what happened to me.

“The emotional and psychological toll that it had on me was very similar.

“I relate to the searing anxiety and the nightmares, you become hypervigilant and paranoid. I was in fight or flight mode 24/7.”

She continued: “It was a very scary time. Every knock on the door, every phone call, I thought it was him all the time. So, I didn’t sleep much in those years.

“Lots of scary things happened. I’d go to the car and the door would be open and there was a song playing that we had talked about.

“He wrote 15 malicious websites about me, impersonated me on Twitter, hacked into my email, called me incessantly, sent me boxes of ashes, visited the house. It was a nightmare. He let me know that he was always watching.

“Some of the websites were really scary, he was inviting other stalkers to join him.

“I felt very isolated and very frightened. He completely hijacked my life and my sense of security. I think it would still be going on now if I hadn’t found my lawyer and taken it to the High Court.”

She says Baby Reindeer also reflects the frustrations she experienced when trying to bring a stop to the stalking.

“I was glad about the outcome. I had to make him accountable publicly, and to set a precedent in law, to help others.

“But really, I feel he should have been tried in a criminal court and sent to prison for what he did.

“I don’t feel reassured by it at all, but I have got to get on with my life.”

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