I was saddened to read your piece (Warnings over NHS data privacy after ‘stalker’ doctor shares woman’s records, 14 May). When I moved to the UK from South Africa as a single, young woman, my application for a national insurance number was copied by the clerk who handled my forms. He had my work and home address and telephone numbers in the UK, and knew from the intake interview that I moved to London by myself and knew no one. This was the mid-1990s, before email and mobile phones were widespread, and moving abroad alone was a big deal.
He started to call me at work and at home, and soon his behaviour escalated, with him turning up at work and outside my house at all hours. Stalking was not a crime at the time and the police refused to act. I ended up confronting him in a pub, flanked by two newfound friends, and the bouncer came to my rescue when I poured a beer over him. Luckily this was the end of my ordeal, but I have often wondered how many women he preyed on.
