Can I tell you a secret? Episode five: a mother’s love
Journalist Sirin Kale meets Matthew’s mother to uncover more about his past, and find out what might have motivated him to cyberstalk his victims for so many years
In this new six-episode podcast, Guardian journalist Sirin Kale investigates the story of Matthew Hardy, a cyberstalker who terrified people in his hometown and beyond for over a decade.
His harassment would often start in the same way, with a fake profile posing as a young woman asking a simple question: “Hey hun, can I tell you a secret?” This series attempts to untangle his web of deception to find out how and why he wreaked havoc over so many people’s lives.
In episode five, Sirin meets Donna, Matthew’s mother. Donna tells Sirin about Matthew’s childhood, his difficulties with fitting in at school, and his increased isolation in adulthood. Sirin learns that Donna felt she struggled to get the right support when Matthew was diagnosed autistic and also with a learning disability. Donna shares her perspective on why she thinks Matthew stalked women online.
Since making this podcast, Matthew has been granted permission to appeal against his sentence.
- Subscribe to Can I Tell You a Secret? on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts
- If you need any support around stalking and harassment, you can get in touch with the Suzy Lamplugh Trust or call the National Stalking Helpline on 0808 802 0300
- We’d like to thank the National Autistic Society and Autism Rights Group Highland for their help and advice on this series
We added a line to this episode on Tuesday 28th September 2022 to reflect that when Donna discusses the phone call between Matthew and his father, she says that the father and his new partner may have a different perspective to her version of events.
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