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The chilling story of Dr Marie Gerval is one of the cases of stalking being confronted in a new urgent yet deeply necessary ITV documentary.
Stalking: A State Of Fear is a brand new ITV true crime documentary that explores the reality and tragedy that befalls victims of crazed stalkers.
The documentary speaks directly to victims of stalking as well as the grieving family of Gracie Spinks who was murdered by her stalker.
In the UK, a staggeringly low one in 20 reports of stalking leads to a conviction.
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Women featured in the documentary stress how difficult it can be to get police to take them seriously.
One such example is Marie, a doctor specialising in women's health, hailing from Lancashire.
She opens up about her mortifying experience when attempting to report her stalker Kelvin James and how it led to her losing all faith in the police.
In 2020, Marie embarked on a brief relationship with Kelvin. After that relationship fell apart, she realised he had placed a tracker on her car.
"He had previous"
When Marie approached Lancashire police to report Kelvin fitting her car with a tracking device, he came clean.
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Marie says: "I was told that the perpetrator had been open and frank in his admission that he had put the tracker on the car."
Kelvin was later convicted of stalking her without fear or distress, given a restraining order to stop him contacting Marie and going near her home.
It later emerged Kelvin previously served prison sentences for armed robbery and harassing his ex-wife.
The lead investigator, Sergeant Justin Fraser said it 'was a first offence', Marie recalls.
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"This man has previous," she added. "He was lying to me".
Shifting the blame
Perhaps the most unbelievable detail of all is that, in August 2022, while Marie was waiting for her case to reach court, Kelvin then shifted the blame, and told Greater Manchester Police that he was the one being stalked by Marie.
This led to her being taken for questioning.
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In the recording, the officer can be heard asking her: "Can you see why Kelvin is distressed and why it appears that you are following him appearing in places where he appears to be. Can you see why he is distressed from that?"
Marie responds: "He is not distressed, and again I have to change my life, because someone is taking photos of my car and accusing me of following him."
She later adds: "I would certainly not be going to hunt down a man who I've got a non-molestation order on, that's the point I'm trying to make."
"My experience is that the police don't protect women"
The stress took such a toll on Marie she was signed off work for 18 months after developing PTSD and 80 percent of her hair fell out.
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Speaking about her experience, Marie told Lancashire Live: "It has shattered the way I look at policing. I understand it is only a few officers but it has destroyed my trust. I would think twice about going to them again.
"It feels misogynistic, like if you have a problem and someone decides not to take it seriously, then so it goes.
"Once the dominoes start to fall then that is the way they go. No one seems to say, this stops here."
Ultimately, Kelvin was handed a community order and he was placed on a 12 week curfew and ordered to wear an electronic tag.
In another shocking twist which further shows the prevalence of stalking, the Lancashire police officer who led the investigation against Kelvin, Sergeant Justin Fraser, was jailed in August 2023 after being convicted of stalking a colleague.
Stalking: A State Of Fear shows that Marie is working alongside a solicitor in an attempt to get the Crown Prosecution Service to review her case and change their charging decision to a 'more serious stalking offence'.
Marie says: "My experience is that the police haven't protected me and don't protect women.
"They almost seem to have sympathy for the perpetrator."
Stalking: State Of Fear is available to watch on ITVX.
Tyla reached out to Greater Manchester Police and Lancashire Police for comment.
Lancashire Police provided the following statement:
"We received this complaint and following a detailed investigation the offender was charged and later sentenced at court for stalking offences.
"We have provided and continue to provide support to the victim, and we have worked closely with her in relation to a number of matters raised during the course of the investigation. This support is ongoing, and she has expressed her gratitude to us for resolving some of her issues.
"We know the devastating impact this crime has on victims in damaging their feelings of safety and self-confidence. We work closely with complainants, as well as other partner agencies and charities to protect victims, review cases and investigate incidents thoroughly.
"We have rolled out refresher training to officers across the force in this area and are always striving to improve the service we offer to victims and how we investigate their complaints.
"In addition, each policing division has a dedicated stalking and harassment point of contact who is a specialist detective who reviews some cases and is available for advice if officers require it.
"We would urge anyone who is being affected by stalking to speak to a local officer, contact us on 101 or ring the National Stalking Helpline on 0808 802 0300. All reports will be taken seriously and dealt with robustly."
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this story, you can speak in confidence about where to get help from Mind free on 0300 123 3393, 9am–6pm Monday to Friday, excluding Bank Holidays.
Featured Image Credit: ITVTopics: Crime, Documentaries, ITV