What did Matthew Hardy do?
Matthew Hardy is a man from Cheshire, England, who became one of the UK’s most prolific cyber stalkers after he pursued several women using social media. He was known to target friends, romantic partners and family members of his victims in a reign of cyber terror. The prolonged abuse resulted in many of the women fearing for their lives.
Hardy was able to carry on committing these crimes for over 7 years, The stalker would use fake profiles on Instagram and WhatsApp to impersonate women and tell their families they were engaging in affairs, amongst other things. He was known to pose as a young woman with an initial message that would say: ‘Can I tell you a secret?’
What happened during the investigation?
Matthew Hardy was initially jailed for 9 years in January 2022 at Chester Crown Court. His sentence was reduced to 8 years in the court of appeal in October 2022, after it was agreed between 3 judges that the initial length of the sentence was too high.
His lawyer claimed his original sentence was too long because it didn’t take into account he suffered from Asperger’s and autism which apparently led to his inability to understand the impact his actions were having on his many victims.
It’s hard to comprehend that Hardy didn’t understand what he was doing was wrong. He showed no remorse towards his victims, and despite being initially interviewed by police and released due to a lack of evidence, he continued to stalk and abuse people online.
Where is Matthew Hardy now?
Matthew Hardy is currently serving his 8-year prison sentence. He has served just over 2 years of it and is due for release in 2030.
Hardy’s case is the focus of Netflix’s new 2-part true crime documentary Can I Tell You A Secret? which debuted on the 21st of February 2024.
What do you think of Matthew Hardy’s case? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.