Terrifying reason ‘real Baby Reindeer stalker’ outed herself – victim naive to think she’d stay anonymous, expert says
THE real Baby Reindeer stalker outed herself for this terrifying reason, claims an expert.
Jessica Gunning’s obsessive Martha character is thought to be based on law graduate Fiona Harvey after her social media was filled with scathing comments towards show creator Richard Gadd, 34.
In the gripping new Netflix drama, based on a true story, a comedian is bombarded with more than 41,000 emails, 744 tweets, 100 pages of letters and 350 hours of voicemails.
Maniac “Martha” carried out her campaign over a four year reign of terror when she became obsessed with Donny Dunn after meeting him at a Camden pub he worked in.
Gadd claimed he went to great lengths to conceal the identity of the woman who stalked him in real life and has begged fans not to search for her.
However, as Fiona Harvey makes herself known to the world, Criminologist David Wilson says it was “naive” of Gadd to think she would stay hidden.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun he said: “I think if you say ‘this is based on a true story’ and the drama is as compelling as it was in Baby Reindeer, it’s absolutely inevitable that there will be online speculation, which is trying to uncover who the person is.
“I feel it was naive to imagine there wouldn’t be interest in who the actual stalker was.
“Stalking hides a wide variety of behaviours, and a range of reasons as to why people begin to stalk, and often some people who are stalked by people who they’ve previously been in a relationship with.”
In the gritty series, Martha becomes fascinated by Donny after he offers her a free cup of tea because she can’t afford it – despite claiming to be a top lawyer.
Donny also takes her out for coffee and a bite to eat before realising her odd behaviour when she slams her fists on the table and makes a scene.
Criminology expert Wilson said Harvey revealed herself because she wants to stay linked.
He said: “Martha’s stalking was explained and it had a reality [to it].
“But, what it seems to me is that if someone was ever in the position [Donny] was in, he would not take the behaviour to a level which did create an intimacy with the person doing the stalking.
“For example, he did take her for a cup of coffee, he walked her home, that sort of behaviour encourages a belief that there is a relationship when there isn’t one.
A part of her still wants to be attached to him
Criminologist David Wilson
“My advice would be that you’d never engage in that type of behaviour.”
On “Martha”, aka Fiona Harvey, coming out and claiming she was the woman portrayed in the series, Wilson said: “A chaotic, non-linear reaction would be what one would expect.
“When someone stalks another person there are disordered thinking patterns, and it’s not unusual to see that emerge in other aspects of their lives.
“A part of her still wants to be attached to him.
“I use the acronym FOUR – stalking is fixated, obsessive, unwanted and repetitive behaviour.”
Harvey is a Scots woman who moved to London.
The 58-year-old from Fyvie, Aberdeenshire, says she met Gadd years ago when he was a bartender at The Hawley Arms in London’s Camden.
She admits to befriending him and claims she gifted him a pair of “tartan M&S pants” to congratulate him on one of his comedy shows.
But she denies she stalked him and told the Scottish Sun: “I have a claim against Netflix as this is being billed as part of a true story.
You want to be remembered for fantasising about a woman you were obsessed
Fiona Harvey
“I’m a highly competent lawyer. I’d have to do it myself. I’m very good.
“I have a photographic memory and can memorise huge files. I was top in my school at everything.”
Harvey is fuming over how she is allegedly portrayed in the series – especially about how she looks.
She said: “I am very attractive. He’s not Brad Pitt. There’s a fat actress that’s supposed to be me.
“He’s come up with this character called Martha and he has put me right in the frame.
“This is a programme for the 20-somethings. The people with no lives, no jobs, whatever. I don’t want to be a celebrity.”
Online, Harvey wrote: “Gadd. this is the worst type of revenge
“You could have just marred a trans [woman] and been happy.
Baby Reindeer saga
Baby Reindeer premiered on Netflix on April 11 and had fans going wild from the get-go.
In the first week of the show 13.3 million tuned in.
Shortly after, Richard Gadd and Jessica Gunning appeared on ITV’s Lorraine to discuss the seven-part series.
A week after making headlines fans of the show were convinced they had found the ‘real Martha’.
This then prompted Fiona Harvey to come forward.
In recent days, Harvey then filled her social media blasting Gadd for how he portrayed her in the show.
“No, you want to be remembered for fantasising about a woman you were obsessed with and never had sex with.”
She concluded by calling the Scots comic a “wee sad man”.
Harvey was previously accused of harassing two of Scotland’s leading politicians.
She came into contact with the late Glasgow MP Jimmy Wray, who died aged 78 in 2013, and his solicitor wife Laura, 62, when she was a former Labour Party member.
Mrs Wray told how she gave Aberdeen Uni law graduate Harvey a trainee role at legal firm McPhail Lawrence Partnership in 1997.
But she sacked her just days later because she was “completely incapable of behaving herself”.
Mrs Wray was then allegedly harassed by Ms Harvey — who was known at the time as Fiona Muir.
It’s also alleged Harvey had earlier harassed late First Minister Donald Dewar and made a bid to be nominated by Labour for a Holyrood seat.
As for how she discovered the show, Harvey says she first became aware of it when Gadd took it to Edinburgh Fringe Festival as a one-man show.
The thriller has become one of the streaming giant’s most talked about shows and has shot to number one in several countries worldwide.
Baby Reindeer by numbers
THE Netflix series has become quite the breakout smash hit...
- 7 Number of episodes in the series
- 30 Number of countries the series has topped the Netflix chart in
- 64 Percentage increase in viewers the show earned in its second week, compared to its first
- 97 The show’s percentage score on industry bible Rotten Tomatoes
- 41,071 Amount of emails Richard claims he was sent by the real life Martha
- 13.3 million Number of viewers who tuned into the show during its first week
