https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-13379157/The-real-life-Martha-Baby-Reindeer-targeting-Ive-four-day-barrage-non-stop-calls-terrifying-messages-just-like-Netflix-writes-NEIL-SEARS-type-phone-ringing-again.html?login&param_code=0rgjyuxenul6lh6g54g7&param_state=eyJyZW1lbWJlck1lIjpmYWxzZSwicmFuZG9tU3RhdGUiOiJiNWQ2ZWM0NC1kMTEwLTQ1NzEtODc2YS1iNTU1MzFiYzhlN2QifQ%3D%3D&param__host=www.dailymail.co.uk&param_geolocation=row&base_fe_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%2F&validation_fe_uri=%2Fregistration%2Fp%2Fapi%2Ffield%2Fvalidation%2F&check_user_fe_uri=registration%2Fp%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fuser_check%2F&isMobile=false

The real-life 'Martha' from Baby Reindeer is now targeting ME: I've had a four-day barrage of non-stop calls and terrifying messages just like on the Netflix show, writes NEIL SEARS. As I type, the phone is ringing again...

By Neil Sears

Published: 12:41, 3 May 2024 | Updated: 14:58, 3 May 2024

The most recent voicemail message was the most chilling. 'You have made a bitter enemy of me,' she said. 'You are the c*** from hell.'

Those words, delivered in her distinctive Scottish accent, gave me a glimpse of how she had allegedly terrified her victims.  For this was the real-life 'Martha', the woman portrayed as a sick serial stalker in the hit Netflix television show Baby Reindeer, speaking to my answerphone last weekend, the culmination of a four-day barrage of calls and voicemails.  It was followed by a warning never to approach her again, couched in legalese which the former law student picked up in the course of the legal training she boasts of.  On social media, she went on to denounce me as a fat liar, an 'overgrown bipolar schoolboy' and said she was considering charging £3,000 an hour for the time she spent talking to me, which she claimed was her professional due.  To be clear, I feel it was perfectly legitimate for 'Martha' to call me. I had met and interviewed her for three and a half hours for an article in the Daily Mail published last Saturday.  But in 30 years of journalism including the occasion when comedian-turned-conspiracy theorist Russell Brand took offence at what I'd written about him and turned his eight million fans on me I have never encountered such a tsunami of calls.  Let me explain. The Netflix series Baby Reindeer has shot to No1 for the streamer in 30 countries, including the UK and the US. It is written by Richard Gadd who also plays the central character, Donny, and is supposedly based on his real-life experience as a struggling stand-up comic working in a pub in London's Camden, who offers a free cup of tea to a customer called Martha. Oddly, despite claiming to be a high-flying lawyer, she can't afford to buy herself a drink.  She turns out to be a convicted stalker who goes on to make Donny's life a misery, haunting his address, disrupting his stand-up shows, at one point smashing a glass in his face, at another attacking his trans girlfriend, and claiming his father is a paedophile. Ultimately, she is jailed.  Viewers are told the drama is based on a 'true story', and Gadd has made it clear in interviews that while details have been changed the real stalker was never imprisoned, for instance - the character Martha is based on the woman who sent him 41,071 emails, 744 tweets, 46 Facebook messages, letters totalling 106 pages, and left 350 hours' worth of phone messages.  The popularity of the series set off an army of determined internet sleuths who, before long, had identified Martha as a 58-year-old Scottish woman who the Mail has chosen not to name living in London. The record of tweets she posted a decade ago, coupled with an injunction against her for stalking a Scottish MP's family more than 20 years ago, certainly seemed damning and, after she agreed to talk to me, the several hours I spent with her left no doubt in my mind.  Indeed, she herself agreed she must be the inspiration for Martha although she denied any wrongdoing, or that any injunctions had been taken out, and maintained that Gadd was effectively stalking HER by profiting from his show, after she had 'turned him down'.  I met the real-life Martha at her new, one-bedroom council flat in a central London high-rise last week. A short, solid woman she told me she had put on weight during lockdown, like many of us with brown shoulder-length hair, she sat surrounded by boxes of possessions.  Perhaps as a result of failings by the council-contracted removal firm which she had plenty to say about her only furniture appeared to be one dining chair, a rocking chair and a small table.  She explained she had moved to the flat the day before and apologised for her attire jogging trousers saying she had yet to unpack her clothes.  While we chatted, she let slip that she has a weekly food budget of £30 and this, taken with her surroundings, seemed rather at odds with her repeated boasts that she was both a top lawyer and talented singer.  'I'm not practising just now, but I'm launching my own law firm soon, in London's Abbey Road, to represent only musicians,' she told me. 'We had staff all lined up but it was delayed by the pandemic.'

Later she told me that she was trying to record an album herself. 'It's like Susan Boyle stuff.'

During the course of the interview, she told me several times that she had 'turned Gadd down' because she 'had a boyfriend'. She talked of her 'long-time partner' who she claimed was a 'QC' and suggested she was in an ongoing relationship.  (When I spoke to her former neighbours at the Camden council flat she'd just left after living there for around a decade, they believed her to be unemployed. They were sceptical about the existence of a boyfriend.)  'Martha' happily posed for the Mail photographer even sitting at a bus stop in the way as Martha does in Baby Reindeer while stalking Donny although we have decided not to publish them.  It was some three hours into our encounter that she began speaking openly about Richard Gadd. Initially, she claimed she had only 'met him once' but by the end of the chat, it was 'maybe four times'.  She levelled all manner of criticisms at him, claiming her 'photographic memory' gave her a detailed recall of his behaviour.  It was 9.30pm when I left 'Martha', telling her that we would publish the article in the coming days.  I was fully expecting to hear from her. I gave her my number because it is perfectly understandable that an interviewee would wish to contact the journalist who would be telling her story to the world, perhaps with additional thoughts and observations or to correct some facts.  But not within ten minutes of my departure. That's when the calls had begun. She called three times during my short drive home, all of which I answered and which lasted in total 19 minutes.  The next day there were ten calls, the one after that 14, and the day afterwards 24 all of them from a No Caller ID number on screen.  And when I failed to answer as, I have to admit I began to do as that 'No Caller ID' message kept popping up there were the rambling stream-of-consciousness messages just like the ones the fictional Martha leaves in the TV show.  Five messages totalling ten minutes on the first full day, nine totalling 20 minutes on the second, 16 totalling 53 minutes on the third.  These messages were not attacks on me, but on Richard Gadd, other staff who'd worked at the Camden pub, on Scottish MPs and their families.  Then on the Saturday there were 19 calls and, as I attempted to communicate with her by email instead, 18 voice messages were left, totalling 40 minutes.  The most abusive message came after she had belatedly read the story published in the Mail that I had worked on with feature writer Barbara Davies.  As I said, it did not name the real-life 'Martha' but it laid out the historic stalking allegations against her in Scotland. But in her view it gave too little space to her denials of those allegations.  This time the message I received was intensely personal.  'I will call the police if you ever approach me,' she said. 'I am suing you and that newspaper, and the bimbo who wrote the article with you.  I hope that's clear even to a moron like you, and I will be demanding the newspaper sack you. I don't like you, I've never liked you.'

Then came the abuse unleashed on her Facebook page looked at by ever-growing thousands of Baby Reindeer fans.  She told them I was 'fat and ugly', 'not very bright', a 'nutter', 'sick', 'a total c***' who 'wouldn't get off my phone', and falsely claimed that I had abused other journalists and 'hated' Gadd. 

The multiple postings went on well into the night, and over several days.  In person she had told me in eye-popping detail and out of the blue of a one-night stand 'with a barrister'. When we subsequently talked on the phone, she suddenly claimed her QC partner 'had died' before then saying that she lived with her 'boyfriend'.  While I had never raised her relationships for discussion, soon she was ranting on Facebook: 'I resent that wee creep neil at the daily fail asking me about previous boyfriends and current.  I felt like a rape victim on the stand.'

While the fall-out from the Mail article is certainly unusual, the abuse is water off a duck's back to me as an experienced national newspaper journalist. For her victims, however, it is easy to see how such obsessive calls, over months and years, can become unbearable.  In my case, my teenage children who happen to be fans of Baby Reindeer, were initially alarmed by my contact with Martha. Now they have taken to calling me 'Daddy Reindeer'.  In the concluding episode of Baby Reindeer, Gadd's character Donny says how bitterly he regrets the moment Martha got hold of his telephone number.  Even as I type this article, approaching midnight, the repeated 'No Caller ID' calls are beginning again...

https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2023/06/22/when-youre-tempted-to-judge-her?utm_campaign=Daily%20Devotions&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8pSG6uPKF5e79pmU4D7qXAvjpN2Z82288hQA8W9e3VQ1UFbaIkq9aSl-hZ0ddwNXPQcHjhh61HAwUIY35JchgKH1Mkyg&_hsmi=261222689&utm_content=261222689&utm_source=hs_email#disqus_thread

When You’re Tempted To Judge Her
June 22, 2023
by Lysa TerKeurst

“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” Philippians 4:5 (NIV)

Almost every day, I talk to people who are hurting for many different reasons.  When we’re in those places, one of the hardest parts is that we feel not only the pain of our hurtful situation but also the compounded hurt from others doing things that unknowingly add to our pain.  Assumptions are made.  Blame is assigned.  Labels are given.  Judgment is cast.  Whether we know someone is hurting or not, we can make a decision today: We will be people of gentleness, living out Philippians 4:5 “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”

Your co-worker?

Your friend?

The woman at Bible study who never seems to engage?

That stranger whose child is screaming in the grocery store?

The neighbor who always seems grumpy and complains about everyone on your street?

Maybe she’s processing some kind of pain you don’t know about. Or she’s trying to figure out something very complicated. Chances are that she is facing or has faced something challenging. How do I know that?

Because she is a human living in the same confusing, often chaotic, hard-to-understand world that breaks your heart and mine.  Instead of following our first reaction to label her based on what she is doing right now, let’s pray for her based on what she’s probably facing right now. And if possible, why not offer a rare voice of encouragement or an unexpected act of kindness?

We may not be able to help the whole world be a better place today. But why not help the ones God places right in front of us?

In my own life, there was a time when my heart hurt so deeply that not much helped. But I remember an ordinary day when one of my friends randomly dropped off dinner for me. She didn’t even ask to come inside. She just texted me that she left dinner on the front porch, allowing me to have my space while making sure I knew she was there for me.  I cried because I had just prayed for God to help me. And then my friend showed up. Even though the soup she made wasn’t the solution for what I was facing, I felt a lot less alone. And I felt seen by God.  You can love and help and pray for someone without knowing the full story. Help with an obvious small need. Make that phone call. Send that card you wish you would receive in the mail. Leave an encouraging comment on her social media. Stop by with her favorite coffee just to say hello. Pick a flower and place it where she can see something beautiful. I believe that when we suddenly find ourselves in the seat of suffering (and all of us will be there at some point), what we’ve modeled to others will often be returned back to us.  Judgment can end with us when gentleness flows through us. Together, let’s show someone a little less judgment and a lot more of Jesus today.

WHEN AND THEN

By Dave Veerman

When . . .
I gaze at the heavens
stars stretching night sky
my speck in the universe
wondering why

Then . .  .
Infinite, sovereign
eternal Creator
choosing, descending
lesser from greater

When  . . .
I look at my children
each miracle birth
once tiny, now grown
parent-sacrifice worth

Then . . .
Intricate embryo
in virgin mother
helpless infant, child
adolescent big brother

When . . .
I reflect on the journey
through life's twisting trail
love, pain, joy, sorrow
my humanity frail

Then . . .
Tempted, tried, tested
touching and teaching
with fierce opposition
broken lives reaching

When . . .
I know my rebellion
sin's profound cost
divine separation
accountable, lost

Then . . .
abandon, forsaken
nailed cross-tree
sin-bearer, the Savior
died there for me

John 1:1–5, 10-–14:

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world . . .

He came into the very world he created, but the world didn't recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son.

When . . .
I ponder the limits
time, space compressed
God incarnation
eternally blessed!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13265609/retired-vet-dead-garden-attacked-seven-dogs.html

Retired vet, 77, is found dead in his garden after being attacked by seven dogs including his own black Russian terrier: Detectives investigating father-of-three's death arrest 75-year-old woman

    Antony Harrington was found in his garden, his clothes torn to pieces by dogs
    Police unsure whether the attack contributed to his death or happened after
    Woman arrested on suspicion of owning a dangerously out of control dog

By Jon Brady

Published: 00:27, 3 April 2024 | Updated: 00:37, 3 April 2024

A retired vet found dead in his garden was attacked by a pack of dogs including his own pet, police say.  Antony Harrington was attacked by the scrum of animals, said to include his own black Russian terrier as well as several large Bernese mountain dogs, at his home in Little Packington, Warwickshire.  The father-of-three is believed to have suffered a cardiac arrest during the attack and was declared dead at the scene but detectives are still trying to ascertain whether the bites led to his death or if he was attacked after dying.  Sources said the attack was so vicious that scraps of Mr Harrington's clothes were found scattered around the garden; the tragedy has left his family 'distraught'.  Sources say Mr Harrington 'always loved animals' and that the other six dogs seized by police were owned by a friend living with him at the time.  But why the dogs attacked him still remains a mystery five months on from his death on November 25 last year.  'Tony always loved animals and had a huge black terrier of his own,' a source told The Sun.

'He was found in the garden and bits of his clothes had been scattered around the grass.  His family are distraught and hope the investigation can help them understand what happened.'

Mr Harrington ran a veterinary surgery in Birmingham's Hodge Hill called The Lodge with his late wife Louise from 1980 until they both retired.  A steam locomotive enthusiast, he helped to restore a 1914 traction engine that remains in use to this day, per his family's wishes.  The National Traction Engine Trust paid tribute to Mr Harrington on social media ahead of his funeral, which was held in Coleshill, Warwickshire in March.  Its post on Facebook read: 'We were saddened to hear of the death of Tony Harrington last November.  Tony was tragically killed last November and circumstances surrounding his death are still part of a police investigation.'

Following the incident, police arrested a 75-year-old woman on suspicion of owning a dog dangerously out of control. She has has since been bailed.  A spokesperson for Warwickshire Police, which is leading the investigation, told the paper: 'Enquiries are ongoing and it is yet to be determined whether the bites caused the death, or the man had died prior to being bitten.'

Last month, it was revealed that dog attacks in the UK had risen by a fifth in one year with police recording more than 80 incidents a day.  Police forces recorded 30,539 offences of a dog injuring a person or a guide dog last year increasing from 25,291 in 2022.  Responding to the increased scale of attacks, and a series of fatalities, cause by XL Bully-type dogs, the Government brought forward a ban on the dangerous dogs.

 

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