A DANCER has spoken out about her experience of stalking in a hard-hitting new documentary.

Abby Furness, who lives in Brighton, was stalked by an obsessed fan called Jamie Spears, and despite being arrested three times and convicted, he continued to follow her.

The 22-year-old stars in a new documentary called Stacey Dooley: Stalkers, which sees the presenter shine a light on the impact stalking has on the lives of victims.

The Argus: Abbey reveals her stalking trauma in new BBC documentary with Stacey Dooley. Credit: BBCAbbey reveals her stalking trauma in new BBC documentary with Stacey Dooley. Credit: BBC Jamie knew Abby’s address, as well as the location of her parent’s house and even followed to Ibiza.

In the documentary, Abby accounts one night when Jamie waited for her to finish work at Brighton Palace Pier.

She said: “I went to Brighton Pier to work. I finished my gig probably around 12’o clock at night, so it was dark.

The Argus: Jamie SpearsJamie Spears

“I finished my gig probably around 12 o’clock at night, so it was dark. And when I left the pier he was waiting behind one of the beach huts for me.

“And that terrified me. He wouldn’t have known when he finished my gig.

“That’s when it shocked me and I thought ‘okay, this is quite serious now’.”

Jamie was later arrested outside Abby’s house, and he was given a stalking protection order, preventing him from contacting her.

But he broke it within 12 days and started calling her and creating fake social media profiles.

Five-months-later, Abby found Jamie hiding in a shed below her bedroom window.

Abby told Stacey: “He’d be here when we woke up and he’d be here when we went to sleep. He was one door away.”

He was arrested again, and police prepared criminal charges but a routine check in custody revealed Jamie was autistic.

At trial, the defence highlighted Jamie’s diagnosis. He was found guilty and given an eight-month suspended sentence and put on a 12-week stalking prevention programme.

The programme is designed to break a stalker’s fixation, however Jamie contacted Abby again four-months later, with heavy breathing down the phone.

Abby moved from her Brighton home, so he no longer knew her address.

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