What did Matthew Hardy do? Crimes explained<\/strong><\/h2>\nMatthew Hardy\u2019s crimes date back to 2006 when he was in secondary school.<\/p>\n
Following the launch of Facebook, Hardy was said to have stalked his female classmates and others from schools nearby. \u201cA random person would add me on Facebook and start messaging me,\u201d one of his first victims told The Guardian<\/a>.<\/p>\n\u201cThey\u2019d say my boyfriend was cheating on me and they just wanted to let me know.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said people eventually caught on to what he was doing, adding: \u201cWe all banded together and found out it was Hardy. Every time he messaged us, we\u2019d say, \u2018You\u2019re Matthew Hardy, go away.’\u201d<\/p>\n
As the years went on, Hardy stalked more women and in 2011 he pleaded guilty to hacking and harassing a former classmate and received a restraining order, a suspended prison sentence and 250 hours of community service, but this did not deter him as he later began stalking another woman in 2013.<\/p>\n
Chester Crown Court heard how Hardy created fake profiles on social media in order to befriend men and women. He would do this by sometimes posing as friends and family members in a bid to collect information about them.<\/p>\n
Over the years, despite numerous police cautions, Hardy began targeting women with large social media followings, which is explored in the documentary.<\/p>\n
![\"Abby]( "\\"Can_I_Tell_You_A_Secret__u_S1_E1_00_30_46_04.jpg,Can_I_Tell_You_A_Secret__u_S1_E1_00_30_46_04\\"\/")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div> Abby Furness. Netflix<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nAbby Furness, who features in the documentary, says she was stalked by Hardy. She said that he had sent intimate photos of her to her boss, and ruined her relationship by falsely telling her boyfriend she had cheated on him.<\/p>\n
After gaining various women\u2019s trust, Hardy would send them messages he knew were false in order to cause \u201crifts\u201d amongst their family.<\/p>\n
His messages would often begin with: \u201cCan I tell you a secret?\u201d and would use \u201chun\u201d and \u201cchick\u201d in order to gain trust.<\/p>\n
It was PC Kevin Anderson who was assigned to the case and trawled through the police systems to find over 100 logs had been made in regards to Hardy.<\/p>\n
Where is Matthew Hardy now?<\/strong><\/h2>\nOn Wednesday 26th January 2022, Hardy was sentenced to nine years in prison<\/a> and was told he would serve a minimum of four and a half years behind bars.<\/p>\nHardy had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of stalking with intent to cause alarm or distress, two counts of stalking without intent to cause alarm and breaching a restraining order from 2013, when he was banned from using false details on social media sites.<\/p>\n
In October 2022, a court of appeal reduced Hardy\u2019s sentence to eight years after three judges agreed the starting sentence was too high.<\/p>
Hardy\u2019s lawyer told the court the original sentence was too high as it failed to acknowledge his inability to understand the impact of his actions as well as his mental disorders.<\/p>\n
One of three judges, Mrs Justice McGowan, said (as per The Guardian<\/a>): \u201cThe appellant\u2019s medical condition \u2013 he suffered from Asperger\u2019s and autism \u2013 was clear and well documented. It led to him suffering from a lack of empathy, such that he was not always able to understand the impact that his behaviour would have on others.<\/p>\n\u201cThe learned judge rightly reduced the term that he had in mind by 25 per cent to allow for that mental disorder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019d say my boyfriend was cheating on me and they just wanted to let me know.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said people eventually caught on to what he was doing, adding: \u201cWe all banded together and found out it was Hardy. Every time he messaged us, we\u2019d say, \u2018You\u2019re Matthew Hardy, go away.’\u201d<\/p>\n
As the years went on, Hardy stalked more women and in 2011 he pleaded guilty to hacking and harassing a former classmate and received a restraining order, a suspended prison sentence and 250 hours of community service, but this did not deter him as he later began stalking another woman in 2013.<\/p>\n
Chester Crown Court heard how Hardy created fake profiles on social media in order to befriend men and women. He would do this by sometimes posing as friends and family members in a bid to collect information about them.<\/p>\n
Over the years, despite numerous police cautions, Hardy began targeting women with large social media followings, which is explored in the documentary.<\/p>\n
![\"Abby](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/02\/CanITellYouASecretuS1E100304604.jpgCanITellYouASecretuS1E100304604-0f44143.jpg?quality=90&crop=824px%2C470px%2C2511px%2C1673px&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Can_I_Tell_You_A_Secret__u_S1_E1_00_30_46_04.jpg,Can_I_Tell_You_A_Secret__u_S1_E1_00_30_46_04\\"\/")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>Abby Furness, who features in the documentary, says she was stalked by Hardy. She said that he had sent intimate photos of her to her boss, and ruined her relationship by falsely telling her boyfriend she had cheated on him.<\/p>\n
After gaining various women\u2019s trust, Hardy would send them messages he knew were false in order to cause \u201crifts\u201d amongst their family.<\/p>\n
His messages would often begin with: \u201cCan I tell you a secret?\u201d and would use \u201chun\u201d and \u201cchick\u201d in order to gain trust.<\/p>\n
It was PC Kevin Anderson who was assigned to the case and trawled through the police systems to find over 100 logs had been made in regards to Hardy.<\/p>\n
Where is Matthew Hardy now?<\/strong><\/h2>\nOn Wednesday 26th January 2022, Hardy was sentenced to nine years in prison<\/a> and was told he would serve a minimum of four and a half years behind bars.<\/p>\nHardy had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of stalking with intent to cause alarm or distress, two counts of stalking without intent to cause alarm and breaching a restraining order from 2013, when he was banned from using false details on social media sites.<\/p>\n
In October 2022, a court of appeal reduced Hardy\u2019s sentence to eight years after three judges agreed the starting sentence was too high.<\/p>
Hardy\u2019s lawyer told the court the original sentence was too high as it failed to acknowledge his inability to understand the impact of his actions as well as his mental disorders.<\/p>\n
One of three judges, Mrs Justice McGowan, said (as per The Guardian<\/a>): \u201cThe appellant\u2019s medical condition \u2013 he suffered from Asperger\u2019s and autism \u2013 was clear and well documented. It led to him suffering from a lack of empathy, such that he was not always able to understand the impact that his behaviour would have on others.<\/p>\n\u201cThe learned judge rightly reduced the term that he had in mind by 25 per cent to allow for that mental disorder.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hardy had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of stalking with intent to cause alarm or distress, two counts of stalking without intent to cause alarm and breaching a restraining order from 2013, when he was banned from using false details on social media sites.<\/p>\n
In October 2022, a court of appeal reduced Hardy\u2019s sentence to eight years after three judges agreed the starting sentence was too high.<\/p>
Hardy\u2019s lawyer told the court the original sentence was too high as it failed to acknowledge his inability to understand the impact of his actions as well as his mental disorders.<\/p>\n
One of three judges, Mrs Justice McGowan, said (as per The Guardian<\/a>): \u201cThe appellant\u2019s medical condition \u2013 he suffered from Asperger\u2019s and autism \u2013 was clear and well documented. It led to him suffering from a lack of empathy, such that he was not always able to understand the impact that his behaviour would have on others.<\/p>\n \u201cThe learned judge rightly reduced the term that he had in mind by 25 per cent to allow for that mental disorder.\u201d<\/p>\n