Cambridgeshire stalking case to feature on Channel 4’s 24 Hours In Police Custody

Documentary series 24 Hours In Police Custody is returning to our TV screens tonight (Monday, 25 November) with the story of a man and a woman who faced a series of anonymous online messages, which escalated into death threats and stalking.

Detective Emily Richardson, of Cambridgeshire police, is faced with the challenge of trying to work out what is really going on after both Megan Brailsford and Daniel Dugdale separately report a series of harassing phone calls and death threats from an unknown third party.

The online harassment then moves from virtual threats to invasions into their personal lives and work.

After the police receive the first of dozens of hoax calls accusing the couple of murder, firearms officers are dispatched in the middle of the night to investigate. The police fail to find a body after each tip-off but the calls keep coming.

Ms Richardson tells the documentary: “Normally, when you get given an investigation, you have a suspect.

“Most people know who it is that they’re accusing of a crime so it adds a whole other layer, that you’re dealing with an unknown, you don’t know who they are, you don’t know what they’re capable of.”

She added: “I suppose it’s the boy who cried wolf, you know, they could’ve reported a hoax call three times, the next one could be real, you never know.”

One call saw five response officers, an armed vehicle and three ambulances deployed to reports of a man stabbed, but after searching the property no sign of a stabbing is found.

The pair tell police they have no idea who could be behind it.

Ms Richardson said: “With all phone work there’s limitations, especially for a case like this where a lot of the crime has been committed on social media, but there’s a lot of things in the background that we can do that perhaps people aren’t aware of.”

Then an encounter with a specialist sergeant, Tracy Williams, makes Ms Richardson think about the investigation in a new light.

The episode coincides White Ribbon Day - a global campaign to end male violence against women and girls - and highlights the huge impact of stalking and how seriously it is taken by police.

This year’s White Ribbon theme is #ItStartsWithMe(n) – where men are being encouraged to play their part in tackling misogyny and calling out or reporting predatory behaviour in a bid to prevent women and girls being abused or harmed.

Over the next 16 days the force will be backing the campaign by posting information on its social media channels on how to report abuse and what support is available in Cambridgeshire.

In the past 10 months the force has recorded 13,079 domestic abuse incidents, up by 2.7 per cent from the year before, and 72 per cent of victims were women.

Detective Inspector Alicia Yorke, the force’s tactical lead for domestic abuse, said: “I would like to thank the victim of this stalking ordeal, who went on to support the investigation as well as sharing their story on 24 Hours in Police Custody.

“We cannot underestimate the huge impact stalking has on victims and how, when not dealt with appropriately, it can escalate and put them in great danger.

“This programme really demonstrates what victims go through and I hope it empowers others to come forward and report concerns.

“White Ribbon Day is a chance for men to reflect on what changes they can make to ensure women and girls are safer.

“While both women and men experience incidents of domestic abuse, women are far more likely than men to experience all forms of abuse, including coercive control, physical and sexual violence.

“The force, along with its partners, is wholly committed to ensuring women and girls are safe and feel safe by tackling violence, intimidation and harassment.

“We urge anyone affected by violence to come forward safe in the knowledge they will be fully supported.”

24 Hours In Police Custody: The Murder Messages airs on Monday at 9pm on Channel 4.