Can I Tell You A Secret? survivors on sinister way Matthew Hardy got away with it

Can I Tell You A Secret? is a new documentary series on Netflix, exploring the prolific cyberstalker Matthew Hardy and the impact he had on his targets. Now, two survivors have opened up about one of the sinister ways he was able to get away with his crimes for so long. 

Ping. A message pops up on your phone asking a seemingly innocuous question. You look at their profile and it checks out: plenty of followers, and dozens of photos. But when you start chatting, the messages grow increasingly aggressive. Eventually, you block them, but it’s too late – suddenly they’re harassing your friends and family, pretending to be you. They know your every move. They send explicit images of you to your boss. They tell your partner you’re cheating on them. They flirt with friends’ husbands. 

This was the reality facing Abby, Zoe, and Lia, three of the dozens of women targeted by Matthew Hardy, the UK’s worst cyberstalker. The case is at the center of the new Netflix true crime docuseries Can I Tell You A Secret?, which reveals Hardy started harassing classmates online back in 2006 – more than 15 years before his nine-year prison sentence. 

It begs the question: how was such a prolific serial stalker able to get away with his crimes for so long? Dexerto attended an event where Lia and Abby shed light on their own experiences, and what Hardy did to prevent justice from occurring sooner. 

Can I Tell You A Secret? Matthew Hardy would impersonate his targets 

Both Lia and Abby described feeling “embarrassed” by what was happening to them, and that Hardy had impersonated them online and made family and friends believe they were doing these things. This was one of many ways in which Hardy silenced his targets and prevented them from getting help sooner. 

While opening up about why she decided to share her story in Can I Tell You A Secret?, Abby said she hopes other people who might be facing a similar situation realize that they can seek help and they can go to the police. “I felt so isolated. I didn’t tell anyone what’s going on, because I was so embarrassed by it. But it just trapped me even more” she said. 

“I kept being told that if I went to the police, no one would believe me. I would just be called this ‘silly girl’ that’s put herself on social media. I was really worried, and even when I spoke to friends and certain family members, they didn’t believe me. And they said that it was just drama, and that the police wouldn’t help me. But also, because Matthew pretended to be me, impersonating me, there were so many people that were fooled by that.”

Abby went on to highlight one of many incidents in which Hardy caused chaos in her life by impersonating her, obtaining private photos, sending them to her boss, and flirting with him. After finding out what had happened, Abby made the difficult decision to leave her job. 

“I was so embarrassed that the fake Abby was flirting and talking to my boss,” she explained. “I just felt like I couldn’t go back to work because that professional boundary has been crossed. And going back to work knowing that my boss fancies me and has seen nude pictures of me, I just couldn’t face it. Just like an old guy seeing me in that light. I couldn’t; it’s embarrassing for me and him.”

Lia, who was similarly impersonated by Hardy, added, “The embarrassment, although it’s not you, they’ve used your name, a number he’s created for you. He’s associated everything with their messages with you. So although you didn’t send them, their wives and girlfriends still look at you like you have sent them. 

“Yes, you could say sorry, but you still have to see these people… I still see certain people that I’m actually embarrassed to be around and I actually don’t want to stand too close to them just in case it puts that doubt in someone’s mind again.”

Another issue highlighted in the Netflix docuseries is the fact that the authorities were reluctant or unable to help the women targeted by Abby. All three speak about the victim blaming they faced, something Abby and Lia elaborated on at the event. 

When reaching out for help, a number of people in Abby’s life said she should have been “ready for it” and that she “shouldn’t have social media” if she didn’t want to deal with stalking. Lia, meanwhile, was told that the police in her local area had too big of a workload. “They didn’t even take my statement,” she said. “They didn’t even take it when they were investigating it.”

It wasn’t until Cheshire PC Kevin Anderson was assigned the case that Hardy’s crimes were taken seriously. In 2022, he was sentenced to nine years in prison, making it the longest custodial sentence in British history for online stalking. Part of the reason he was finally brought to justice was thanks to a detailed, 700-page file of evidence compiled by Lia.

By sharing their story, the pair hope it will help inspire others to seek help when dealing with cyberstalking. “Hopefully it can help one person, and then they can help another person,” said Lia. “That is why we did the documentary in the first place.”

Can I Tell You A Secret? is available to stream on Netflix now.