My entire family was stalked for 6 YEARS after I accidentally sent a one-letter text to a stranger on Plenty of Fish

Scottish Sun

19 hours ago

He continually breached restraining orders despite going to prison
LIVING NIGHTMARE My entire family was stalked for 6 YEARS after I accidentally sent a one-letter text to a stranger on Plenty of Fish
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A WOMAN says her entire family was stalked for six years after she accidentally accidentally sent a one-letter text to a stranger on a dating app.
None of the Sims family, from Wales, ever met Neal Hancock in person, but they have received continual messages, threats and abuse from him.
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Neal Hancock, 39, pleaded guilty to charges of stalking in November, 2023
Credit: South Wales Police
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Kathryn Sims, and daughter Bethan, have both received disturbing messages
Credit: Media Wales
The terrifying campaign began when Bethan Sims fell asleep whilst leaning on her phone in 2019, and accidentally sent a one letter response to a man on the dating app Plenty of Fish.
Thinking Bethan was interested in him, the 39-year-old man then bombarded her with messages, which eventually turned abusive when she did not reply.
Bethan then blocked him, but Hancock soon made another account and found her again.
This happened a few times, to the point he would even create profiles on other social media channels.
And he has continued, even reaching out to Bethan's mother Kathryn, despite Hancock having been convicted for his crimes and put in prison for continually stalking the family.
She told WalesOnline: "It's been six years - six years of this nightmare".
This is also despite Hancock having been banned from the Sims' family home in Port Talbot, which involves a restraining order he has continued to breach the terms of.
Kathryn continued: 'We are genuinely fearful for our lives.
"That's what this has come to.
"And honestly we don't believe it is being taken anywhere near seriously enough."
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She added: "It never leaves you when you have a stalker.'
Hancock, who lives close the Bethan and Kathryn, is expected to be released from prison next month.
He has still never spoken to either of them in person, but has sent messages on social media letting them know he is watching them, with proof of where they have been during the day.
He even posted their address online.
The stalking got so bad that Bethan was too concerned to leave her home, and made an alert to her children's school after she realised he knew about them.
The Sims family are not the only people Hancock is recorded to have stalked.
A mutual friend let Bethan and Kathryn know about Carl Mallon, who was also stalked for so long by Hancock that he had to leave his job and move house.
Speaking about his experience with Hancock, Carl said: 'When I'm out my eyes are everywhere.
"It can wreck your life.'
Hancock now lives in Neath, and has been sentenced to 48 weeks custody suspended for two years, after he pleaded guilty to stalking charges involving fear of violence in November 2023.
He has been tagged and received a five-year restraining order that means he is no allowed to contact or approach any of his victims in anyway.
But Kathryn and Bethan want to stricter order for Hancock, who has still contacted them.
Bethan explained: "What he did when he got out of jail was break the exclusion zone around us, getting himself recalled back to prison.
"Then he came out for a second time and broke the restraining order again.
"He is now back in prison for a third time.
"I think he's proven he isn't going to listen and that we are in danger."
Hancock breached his current restraining order last year, which ended him up in prison for around 11 months, then breached it again six months after being released when he contacted Bethan on social media.
Kathryn does not believe enough is being done in response to this man's behaviour: "He's considered such a risk he was under robust MAPPA (multi-agency public protection arrangements) guidelines, essentially meaning everyone working together to keep us safe.
"But that isn't worth the paper it's written on."
A freedom of information request submitted by the BBC earlier this year revealed despite the UK having had nearly 440,000 cases of stalking between 2020 and 2023, only 1,439 stalking prevention orders were issued by 40 forces.
These are part of the Stalking Protection Bill from 2020, which can prohibit activities like entering locations or making contact with victims involved in the early stages of an investigation into alleged stalking.
Hancock is reported to have entered one of the exclusion zones, and managed to get "very close" to Kathryn and Bethan before they were alerted.
They are worried about how "obsessed" and "fixated" he is.
Kathryn sad: "We could have been killed by the time we knew."
"We are so fed up. It's affected everything," she added.
"It makes you so unwell. I've been hospitalised with the stress of it because we're in such danger from this man.'
The two are due back in Swansea Magistrates Court on July 7 to request a more robust restraining order.
South Wales Police Inspector, Jared Easton, who is in charge of the case said: "Neal Hancock is clearly a dangerous individual who refuses to learn his lesson and has caused all manner of trauma for his poor victim.
"His behaviour towards this victim has been ongoing for several years now.
"It is completely unacceptable, and nobody should have to put up with a prolonged campaign like this.
"A further application is being made to the court to extend the conditions of the restraining order and should he fail to abide by these conditions, then he will be arrested and taken back to court."
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Hancock even found Bethan and her son at a restaurant, and followed them through the supermarket
Credit: Media Wales