Stalkers (BBC1)
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Inside The Factory (BBC2)
Rating:
Stalking is responsible for more than half of all murders of females in the UK. The murderers are usually ex-partners who bombard victims with frightening messages, before the crimes get more severe.
As she followed the work of a helpline in Portsmouth and a specialist police unit in Stalkers (BBC1), Stacey Dooley learned that one in five women have been subjected to stalking — as have one in ten men.
Katie had a five-month relationship with her personal trainer, before she left him after discovering he was unfaithful. He reacted to his unfaithfulness by beating Katie and reporting him to police.
After serving half of his sentence, he was sentenced to two-years in prison. However, he was eligible to apply for parole. Even though his request was rejected, Katie received no guarantees from the police.
In case of an emergency, they advised her to take a small bag with all her personal belongings. They also asked her to keep a log of every time her abuser made contact — which sounds as though she was expected to assist in the investigation of her own future murder.
Stacey might have tried to push the police more for information about the reasons that forces aren’t taking the crime seriously. Her questions were not difficult, and she did not confront chief constables.
As she followed the work of a helpline in Portsmouth and a specialist police unit in Stalkers (BBC1), Stacey Dooley (pictured in Stalkers) learned that one in five women have been subjected to stalking — as have one in ten men
One after the other, women came forward to tell of their experiences with psychological manipulation and torture. But the fear-mongers were able continue their campaign of terror for several years until the police arrived.
One man declared, “People say that love causes you to do crazy things, and in mine it sure does,” while hiding his face behind his hoodie.
Sabrina, an employment consultant, was subject to abusive messages from her stalker over the past three years. The stalker took photos of Sabrina’s house and claimed that he knew where her daughter was going to school.
Sabrina finally discovered the creep through CCTV footage taken at a local bar.
She had to be a detective before police took the case seriously.
Her despair was caused by her fear of being intimidated. “Is this really going to ever end?” she asked. She wept.
The ending was dark and grim. Stacey stated that if a stalker is targeting you, he will warn you: “You’re never really free.”
Last week, I was worried Wednesday’s television news would be so dark that Gregg Wallace (BBC2) might not make it. My worst fears were confirmed. . . It wasn’t nearly as terrible as I expected.
Gregg visited the Doc Martens factory at Wollaston, Northamptonshire.
He screamed “We Brits love boots!” and began to bobble along, his arms wide open, his head wobbling like a toy in a car’s dashboard.
He learned a lot about boot-making and the origins of the cobblers’ slang as he worked on the floor.
CHRISTOPHER STEVENS – Last week, I was worried that the Wednesday evening news would be so dark that it would force me to tune in to Inside The Factory (BBC2). I was right. . . It wasn’t nearly as terrible as I expected.
Let’s take the word “skiving” to denote someone who doesn’t like work. Gregg has learned that skiing is the process of cutting down leather’s edges to make it easier and more comfortable to sew.
Boot-making most often takes place standing, however skivers need to be able to stand at their machines. This is a very relaxing job.
You can scuff the boot’s front by rubbing it. The boot can be re-vamped when that leather piece is removed. That’s what I like.
The footwear should fit around the foot of a wooden or last-stage woodfoot.
Gregg, my apologies for the sarcasm. I really enjoyed it. He’s more interesting talking about cobblers, it seems.