If you've had enough of Saturday nights out on the lash and you're on the lookout for a brand new binge-worthy series to sink your teeth into this weekend, then boy, do we have the thriller for you...
Among the plethora of riveting new additions added to Netflix in recent weeks - including tear-jerking romance One Day, plot-twist-filled dating series Love Is Blind and harrowing murder-drama The Secret - is a brand new true crime documentary about the life-shattering realities of cyberstalking.
For those unfamiliar with this dreaded concept, cyberstalking refers to the weaponisation of social media/electronic communication platforms in order to harass or scare victims.
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Thankfully, in the UK and many countries around the world, this is seen as a serious crime which can see even see offenders jailed for extensive periods of time.
And no one is more aware of that than Matthew Hardy who - back in 2011 - was found guilty of threatening a group of terrified women online to such an extent that many of them were forced to sleep with weapons under their pillows.
The Cheshire-born stalker was subsequently jailed for nine years following an extremely high-profile court case - in which the traumatised victims recalled being subjected to severe mental distress on a daily basis for over two years.
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And now, 13 years after Hardy was put behind bars for his cyber crimes, a handful of his victims have spoken out about their turmoil in a brand new two-part Netflix documentary series titled Can I Tell You A Secret?
As the courageous ladies explain, they were each approached by a mysterious social media profile which appeared to be used by another woman, who introduced themselves by asking those six dreaded words - 'Can I tell you a secret?'
What they had no idea about, however, was that Hardy was behind the fake profile, going on to mimic them on other platforms, sending harmful, hateful content to them, and share fraudulent sexually explicit messages - allegedly from them - with their nearest and dearest.
As the women explain, Hardy's online abuse - which also included sending false nude photos to their online personal networks - severed many of their relationships with friends and family.
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One of the victims, Gina Martin, previously recalled of her experience: "He would use the same picture as my actual account. He would strike up conversations with people, spreading rumours and lies."
She continued: "He has caused such damage to people, relationships have been completely severed. He said one of his other victims was sleeping with her mum's brother.”
The hit series - produced by legendary documentarian Louis Theroux - also features police testimonials, as well as discussions with Hardy's school friends.
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And since it dropped onto Netflix last week, hundreds of viewers have since taken to social media to express the profound effect it had on them.
"Can I tell you a secret on Netflix I can say is one of the craziest and scariest documentary I’ve watched," one penned on X. "It’s literally about stalkers and their victims, I recommend y’all to watch especially women."
Another even revealed: "Watching Can I Tell You A Secret on Netflix and realising it’s about the same person who made fake profiles of me and literally every single one of friends from home in Cheshire - This is wild"
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"I have a new Netflix recommendation for all the true crime documentary lovers. Can I Tell You A Secret? On Netflix. It’s absolutely terrifying, I’m only one episode in but it’s CRAZY," added a third.
Another went on: "Watching ‘Can I Tell You a Secret?’ @netflix A superb documentary that perfectly evokes the horror of cyberstalking. Much of our life & many of our vulnerabilities end up on social media & there ‘s no telling who is at the other end."
Topics: Crime, True Crime, Netflix, TV And Film
Rhianna Benson