Can I Tell You A Secret? is a two-part British documentary series released on Netflix on February 21, 2024. It is directed by Tash Gaunt and Liza Williams serves as series director. Parts I and II have a runtime of about 51 minutes.
The documentary features Zoe Jade Hallam, Abby Furness, Lia Hambly, PC Kevin Anderson, Maria Hambly, Sabrina, Amy, Nini, David, Dr Amy Pearson, Joshua, Stuart Lumb, Sirin Kale and others.
Can I Tell You a Secret? is a gripping series that follows the terrifying experiences of several women who were targeted by a notorious online stalker, Matthew Hardy. In early 2022, Hardy received the longest custodial sentence in British history for his heinous crimes. This series takes you on a journey through the women’s struggles, the intense police investigation, and Hardy’s ultimate capture and punishment.
Can I Tell You A Secret? Review
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that social media is a big part of almost everyone’s lives. It isn’t limited to some individuals but everyone put up their whole lives online to share, archive and for anyone to see. But when the prying eyes latch onto your online persona, sometimes it’s hard to get away from them in real life. Something similar happened to several women, out of which we met three – Abby, Zoe and Lia. Around some time in 2018, these women started to receive messages from strangers or acquaintances online, asking if they would like to know a secret.
They would indulge in the conversation casually to know what the person could be talking about but realise that they are just playing a mind game on them. On the pretence of revealing something, they would tell them information about the person’s own life, making them feel like they are being watched. And it wouldn’t be limited to them but all and anyone in their known. Impersonating these ladies in their social group and doing the same to others as well, creating hundreds of fake profiles that anybody could take count of.
The persistent effort to malign the images of these women by impersonation and straining all their relationships took a big toll on their lives. Their partners left them, friends and family became wary and the victims couldn’t trust a single soul. Moreover, the police weren’t much help unless there was any imminent danger lurking around them or a physical act that could be counted for. The online realm remains out of their jurisdiction without direct and violent proof.
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The first part shows the victim’s lives were spiralling down for worse, helpless and living in constant fear. As we move onto the second part, the culprit becomes a bit clear amidst the myriad of fake profiles. The way the victims get to know about their perpetrator’s identity seems like somewhere he wanted to be known. Despite hiding behind fake identities, he would casually reach out from his real contacts on rare occasions. Pointing down to one name – Matthew Hardy and a news article about him being charged in a case of stalking and harassment.
Diving into a story of a quiet techy guy, as his school friend describes him. Being an outcast with undiagnosed spectrum tendencies, it’s fair to say that Matthew Hardy’s early life wasn’t exactly easy. Isolated and lacking social cues his online transgression came out while in high school, harassing his female classmates online. Despite being given two restraining orders from the victims, he didn’t change his ways and gradually diverted his focus to unknown women online. However, the biggest mystery remains – why? Why did he target these individuals, and what did he hope to get in return? If they were total strangers online then what would be the roots of his contempt towards them?
Was he seeking a form of companionship from them but chose the worst way possible to approach them? During his trial, his lawyer focused on his autism as the reason behind his misdemeanor. But the way he conducted himself, chatted with the victims, provoking and mocking them – says a different story. That he was well aware of what he was doing and how wrong it really was. He seemed to be always prepared to get himself out of the situation, in case he got caught by the police. That’s one of the reasons why it took PC Kevin Anderson to bring him to justice.
After tracking, contacting and collecting all the evidence from the victims, the court finally sentenced him to 9 years in prison. Bringing respite to the victims, who suffered years of harassment. However, his sentenced to 8 years when he appealed again. Looking at this case, one can only think ‘What if something like that happened to me?’. With major parts of our lives and information online, it could be anyone with a personal vendetta or a twisted mind to transform our lives into a living hell.
Especially as we have seen the cases of deep fake and AI images, one doesn’t even need much to impersonate someone or spam the internet with your face on the worst things possible. It should be a lesson to take better control of your social profiles and who can access them. Apart from that, the documentary series is quite engaging and uses visual elements like showing a message transmitted through wire lines or dramatic lights to create a horrifying mood. However, making real people act out scenes from the past makes it lose credibility and look superficial. Overall, the subject is a must-watch despite oversensational treatment.
Rating: 3/5
Can I Tell You A Secret? is available for streaming on Netflix.
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