{"id":46663,"date":"2024-02-27T10:28:11","date_gmt":"2024-02-27T09:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1998817"},"modified":"2024-02-27T11:32:37","modified_gmt":"2024-02-27T10:32:37","slug":"what-happened-to-abby-furness-subject-of-netflixs-can-i-tell-you-a-secret","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/what-happened-to-abby-furness-subject-of-netflixs-can-i-tell-you-a-secret\/","title":{"rendered":"What happened to Abby Furness? Subject of Netflix\u2019s Can I Tell You a Secret?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Furness was targeted by one of the UK’s most prolific cyber stalkers. <\/p>

By Molly Moss\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 27 February 2024 at 09:28 AM<\/p>

\n\n

Netflix\u2019s latest true crime documentary Can I Tell You a Secret? tells the horrifying story of one of the most prolific cyber stalkers in UK history, Matthew Hardy<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The two-parter explores Hardy\u2019s crimes and the impact of his actions on victims<\/a> spanning across decades.<\/span><\/p>\n

One individual targeted by Hardy was Abby Furness, who features in the docuseries and discusses how she was stalked by the criminal.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think I have a bit of disassociation to the whole thing, and I actually blocked the whole thing out of my brain,\u201d Abby said of her experience filming the series in a Q&A.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t realise until we had to do the day story, where you sit there and you have to talk through the whole thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She continued: \u201cEven though I knew what had happened, and there was evidence, and I was seeing everything in front of me, and I knew the story because I lived it, I forgot bits happened and just kind of blanked it out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So, what exactly happened to Abby and where is she now? Read on for everything you need to know about the subject of Can I Tell You a Secret?<\/a> on Netflix.<\/span><\/p>\n

What happened to Abby Furness?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
As seen in the Netflix documentary, Abby was one of many women who was targeted by Hardy \u2013 and whose world he turned upside down.<\/span><\/p>\n
Hardy started stalking Furness in 2019. He impersonated her online and started messaging friends and relatives under pseudonyms, spreading <\/span>rumours that she had slept with numerous people, including her uncle<\/a>.<\/p>\n
He also cloned her profile to <\/span>message a professional photographer in order to gain access to<\/span> a shared online folder containing nude images of her, which Furness alleged Hardy then sent to her boss<\/a>.<\/span>
<\/span><\/p>\n
Hardy later<\/span> told Abby\u2019s then-boyfriend she had cheated on him, which led to them splitting up.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cMy boyfriend got a message from a fake Instagram account saying that they knew I\u2019d been cheating on him,\u201d Furness told The Guardian<\/a>. \u201cIt gave our relationship trust issues. We ended up breaking up a month later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hardy was arrested in 2020, but he denied everything and carried on stalking for over a year.<\/span><\/p>\n
In October 2021, he pleaded guilty<\/a> to stalking involving fear of violence and harassment at Chester Crown Court and, i<\/span>n January 2022, he was sentenced to nine years in jail.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
However, in October 2022, <\/span>a court of appeal reduced Hardy\u2019s sentence to eight years<\/a> after three judges agreed the starting sentence was too high.<\/span><\/p>
Where is Abby Furness now?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Following Hardy\u2019s arrest, Abby is still a micro-influencer on Instagram. She is also a singer, dancer, model and fire-breather. <\/span><\/p>\n
In November 2022, Furness told Vice<\/a> that authorities and even loved ones accused her of inviting the cyber stalking because of her online presence.<\/span><\/p>\n
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