'I was stalked by real-life Baby Reindeer Martha - now I'm scared again'

Laura Wray said Baby Reindeer's real-life Martha being thrust into the spotlight has brought back the horrors of her own stalking ordeal.

And she now fears for her own safety after claiming she has been the target of abusive online comments by the woman who "outed" herself as the twisted Netflix series character.

Laura, widow of former Labour MP Jimmy Wray, has watched aghast as her tormentor re-entered public life 22 years on since she secured an interim injunction against her in 2002.

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She spoke out after the real-life Martha - Fiona Harvey of Fyvie, Aberdeenshire - gave an interview to Piers Morgan on Thursday.

Laura claims problems started as she gave the woman, a lawyer, a two-week trial at her Glasgow law firm in 1997. She lasted a week before being fired for abuse.

The woman, who we are choosing not to name, was even accused of reporting Laura to social services claiming falsely that Laura had hit her disabled child, reports the Mirror.

Laura said: "I hadn't thought about her for years. I had forgotten so much of it. Every time someone says a comment, it triggers it again. Memories of things that she did. Some of her actions. It's pretty distressing. Watching her last night [on Piers], how did I manage to cope with that for so long?"

"My partner and I are concerned about what she might do next. Is she going to come after me? She is posting things on Facebook accusing me of all sorts, and of being abusive. You don't know where it will end."

Laura is convinced she's indirectly featured in Baby Reindeer via a fictional newspaper article titled: Sick stalker targets barrister's deaf child. She also appealed for the woman's friends to help quell the drama.

Laura shared: "If she does have any friends, surely they should be trying to help her and calm things down. But she doesn't want to calm things down. Part of her is really enjoying this. She even had a makeover for Piers Morgan."

Baby Reindeer, since its release on April 11, has skyrocketed to become one of Netflix's most-streamed shows of all time, boasting over 22 million worldwide streams. The story follows a character named Martha, portrayed by Jessica Gunning, who becomes fixated on a failing stand-up comedian Richard Gadd, eventually leading to charges.

Each episode commences with the statement: "This is a true story." Laura expressed shock at Netflix's decision "didn't attempt to hide the stalker's identity".

She further claimed: "Even if she wasn't mentally ill, if you are doing a show billed as a true story where the people are still alive and might be harmed, there is a duty of care. But she seems obviously so mentally ill. They haven't done enough to protect her."

Laura indicated that the resemblance between Martha and her stalker was too uncanny to ignore, stating: "It was obvious to me and to a lot of other people that she was my stalker. They made her a lawyer. That detail didn't have any bearing on the story. They could have made her a doctor, or an accountant."

She noted, "The only thing they changed about her was her name. The lady Jessica who played Martha was excellent... she sounds like her, she looks like her. I mean, she had the same laugh, even the same slightly kind of funny waddling walk. Even when I briefly employed her, she would do the same sort of things."

After being dismissed, the woman began to overwhelm Laura with phone calls and badmouth her to other lawyers. She then started targeting Laura's family and friends.

Laura noted that she had reached her limit when this individual reported her to social services.

Laura revealed: "She made some bizarre allegation that I was in my car driving and somehow managed to hit my son who was sitting in the back of the car in the child seat. Eventually it was all dropped but that's when I went for an interim injunction. Thankfully, it worked. She didn't defend it. We never heard any more from her."

Toward the end of Baby Reindeer, Martha accepts her guilt for stalking Gadd and is sentenced to nine months in jail. However, Laura's stalker adamantly denied ever being charged with an offence, much less being incarcerated.

Slamming the series as a "work of fiction", she declared: "That is completely untrue, very, very defamatory to me, very career-damaging."

The woman at the centre of the controversy has refuted claims that her Facebook messages were abusive, also stating that there was no interim injunction against her due to a mix-up in the paperwork.

Netflix has remained silent on the matter, offering no comment on any of the individuals portrayed in the series.

Experts suggest that stalking behaviours often arise from deep-seated psychological issues, possibly linked to unaddressed childhood needs or trauma.

"They may stem from unresolved psychological conflicts, such as feelings of inadequacy. Stalkers may project their desires, fantasies, or fears onto their victims, creating a distorted perception of the relationship. They may develop a fixation on the victim, believing that they are in a special relationship, even when it doesn't exist."

"Additionally, the stalker may experience a sense of validation from knowing they are in their victim's mind, even if the attention is unwanted. Being held in the mind of the object of their obsession reinforces their belief that they have a special relationship with the victim, contributing to the persistence."

"Perhaps a victim may have elicited strong emotions in the stalker. This may have further fuelled obsessive behaviour. From the stalker's perspective, their actions may be driven by emotions, such as obsession, or a desire for control. They may believe that their behaviour is justified, particularly if they feel rejected by the victim."

In the play Baby Reindeer, Martha, a character portrayed as a stalker, is ultimately convicted and imprisoned. Dr Goddard-Crawley comments: "This distorted perception may prevent them from fully understanding the consequences of their actions. Being exposed and convicted of stalking can lead to feelings of humiliation. Legal proceedings and media coverage can magnify these feelings."

In the Netflix drama, Martha's character begins to unravel as she loses her grip on her victim. The psychologist further explains: "Stalkers often engage in their behaviour to exert control over their victims. Being convicted can represent a loss of this control. They are also unlikely to understand they have done anything wrong, and may believe their behaviour is warranted - particularly if they feel rejected, betrayed, or wronged by the victim."

"They may struggle to understand the impact of their actions on the victim's well-being and fail to recognise that their behaviour is causing harm. The stalker may interpret any response from their victim, whether positive or negative, as confirmation of the relationship."

In Baby Reindeer, Martha bombards her victim Donny with thousands of emails, countless voicemails and repeatedly contacts him. Viewers are given the impression she's unaware of the detrimental impact of her actions on Donny.

Dr Goddard-Crawley points out: "A stalker's lack of understanding of the harm they're causing may reinforce their delusion that there is a genuine relationship. It may also contribute to their sense of justification for their behaviour."

"There is no single profile of a stalker but there are common factors that may contribute. Many stalkers have a history of failed or problematic interpersonal relationships. This may include difficulties forming and maintaining close relationships, and a pattern of rejection or betrayal by others."

"They often have low self-esteem and may seek validation through their relationships with others, leading to an intense fear of abandonment."

In Baby Reindeer, Martha frequently flaunts her supposed brilliance as an accomplished lawyer and publicises her well-connected status, but we see her spending all day in the bar where Donny works, just nursing a complimentary Diet Coke.

The psychologist further explains: "Stalkers are more likely to have a history of mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, personality disorders, or delusional disorders, which may impair their ability to form healthy relationships.

"Many stalkers also have a history of trauma or abuse. They often exhibit obsessive or fixated personality traits, characterised by an intense preoccupation with a particular person or relationship, which they may seek to maintain control over."