A stalking victim who featured on last night’s 24 Hours in Police Custody has said her life would’ve been in danger had her ex-partner not been caught. “The Murder Messages” showed viewers the extraordinary lengths Daniel Dugdale, 29, went to, to wreak havoc on the life of Megan Brailsford.
“He tried to get my children taken off me, it’s every parent’s worst fear,” she said. “He tried to wreck my career that I’ve worked so hard for – I could’ve lost my home. I felt like I was going insane.
“Had he not been caught, at the rate it was all escalating, I think it would’ve got a lot worse – he could’ve killed me.”
Megan and Dugdale met about four years ago and, at that time, he appeared to be friendly and chatty, but looking back, she said he was “very persistent”.
In the second year of their relationship, Dugdale became verbally and physically abusive.
“One time as I slept facing the wall, he scratched my back to the point it was bleeding. He cheated on me all the time. He got very mouthy and ‘handsy’, especially after a drink,” she said.
The investigation started in January 2023 in the wake of Megan and Dugdale’s separation which was followed by a series of disturbing messages and hoax calls.
“At first, I thought Daniel had done something to annoy someone, so they were getting back at him,” she said.
Megan was faced with armed police at her door several times following false reports she had murdered her children.
One call resulted in response officers, an armed vehicle and three ambulances deployed to reports of a man being stabbed at her home.
‘I’ve killed my kids – I need your help’
And another message purporting to be from Megan, sent to Cambridgeshire Constabulary live web chat, said: “I’ve killed my kids…I need your help…I’ve buried them on the dog walking trail.”
As the situation intensified, Megan received terrifying anonymous messages, ranging from, “you look beautiful today”, to “let me kill you”, and “I will run you off the road” as well as rape and death threats.
She was bombarded with numerous silent calls a day and “no caller ID” calls were also made to her mother and workplace.
“It was relentless,” said Megan, a veterinary nurse. “If I wasn’t getting phone calls, it would be messages. It was constant. It was a full-time job for him.
“He made many fake accounts in my name,” she said. “One day I was at work my family and best friend called in floods of tears asking if I was alive – they had received messages to say I had died.”
Megan also received an anonymous threat referring to a picture of her dog on Facebook, which said, “she’s a beautiful dog, shame if she got hurt”.
“I also received pictures of dead dogs – ones that that looked like mine,” she added.
An email purporting to be from Megan, was sent to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) asking to be removed from the register.
And unwanted taxis appeared at her home most days – some resulting in taxi drivers knocking on her door while she was asleep during the early hours.
“I was so sleep deprived; I was only getting about two hours a night. I dropped a lot of weight; I was hardly eating. I accused others of stalking me.
Throughout the three-month ordeal, Dugdale played the victim, claiming he was also being harassed, and putting pressure on officers to find the culprit.
Megan said: “In my brain I wondered, was it him? But he was going around warning taxi ranks what had been happening. He was reporting the incidents to the police.”
The pair were asked to hand their phones over for analysis, but Dugdale evaded investigating officers by cancelling appointments.
However, strong evidence was found on Megan’s phone records linking Dugdale to the incidents and he was arrested in March last year. During one stint, he called her every four seconds.
“The police called me at work to tell me and I was quite calm,” said Megan. “But when I got off the phone, I burst into tears. A nurse at work who had been escorting me to my car every evening throughout this, also cried.
“And then I was mad that he had the audacity to put me through this. He was cleverer than I thought.”
In police interview, Dugdale admitted to DC Emily Richardson that he “might’ve lied”.
“I was trying to hurt her, so she would need me,” he said.
Dugdale pleaded guilty to two counts of stalking involving alarm/distress and perverting the course of justice.
At Cambridge Crown Court in April this year, Dugdale was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison.
Since the ordeal, Megan has moved house and changed her workplace “to feel safe”.
“Being stalked is not just about being followed,” she said. “There are different forms, and it can make you feel so isolated. When I was going through it, I became depressed and a recluse – I didn’t trust anyone,” she said.
“To anyone in that situation, I would say get help – whether it be the police, charities, family and friends. When I reported it, I thought the officer would think I was some mad person. But Emily listened to me and took it very seriously.”
DC Emily Richardson, who investigated, said: “This case demonstrates the huge impact stalking can have. Dugdale manipulated Megan to try to destroy every aspect of her life, without her knowing it was him, so I am pleased he is in prison.
“This was a traumatic experience for Megan and her family, and I commend her bravery and thank her for supporting the case and raising awareness of how terrifying stalking can be.
“It shows that stalking isn’t a one-off crime and often includes a series of incidents which, when taken in isolation may not seem much, but when put together can be very scary.
“We would encourage anyone who fears they may be being stalked or harassed to get in touch. We’re here to support victims as well as do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.”
More information and advice on stalking and harassment can be found on the force’s dedicated web page.
If you are worried that your partner or ex-partner may have an abusive past and could pose a danger to you and your family, you can use Clare’s Law. Visit our dedicated webpage.
