Britain’s most prolific female cyberstalker to be investigated in new ‘stranger-than-fiction’ BBC series
A NEW BBC programme is to investigate Britain’s most prolific female cyberstalker.
BBC Three and BBC Scotland have commissioned the three-part true crime series.
Titled The Catfish Next Door, it will explore the shocking case of British “catfish” Adele Rennie, a former NHS nurse from Kilmarnock.
Rennie’s serial cyberstalking saw her sentenced to a third jail term last year.
She had been revealed to be behind a string of meticulously crafted aliases.
On September 13 last year, Adele Rennie was sentenced to 28 months’ imprisonment and made subject to a 12-month Supervised Release Order.
She was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for a period of 10 years.
Over the course of a decade, Rennie targeted a number of local women by using sophisticated stalking campaigns.
Although these all began online, they had far-reaching consequences for the victims.
Speaking at Rennie’s first court trial in 2017, Sheriff Elizabeth McFarlane declared the case as “the most astounding narrative of facts I think I’ve heard in my entire career”.
Her story features hundreds of alleged victims and multiple aliases – all from the unlikeliest of perpetrators.
In addition, many victims will share their experience as they grapple with the lasting impact.
The series examines a cyberstalker’s motivation to offend and the drive behind escalating crimes.
As well as this, why there’s been such a stark increase in “catfishing” – a practice still not considered a crime under UK law.
Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries, said: “This series will take us into the modern phenomenon of catfishing and internet crime in a fresh and creatively distinctive way and through the prism of the Scottish community in which it takes place.”
Meanwhile, Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning, BBC Scotland remarked: “This is a remarkable story which will intrigue and fascinate audiences.
“The scale and impact of this crime and its twists and turns will make compelling viewing.”
Craig Hunter, Executive Producer and Creative Director of STV Studios Factual, described the case “truly astonishing”.
He added: “Behind the headlines lies a complex and thought-provoking story that speaks volumes about the nature of cybercrime – how quickly it has evolved; the profound impact it can have on victims; and what it tells us about modern society.”