Her partner was also violent, and the police were called to their home on numerous occasions. Megan* claims she told the police what was happening, but because she had a history of drug use, she wasn’t believed: “I’d ring the police because I knew he was doing something but the police would just contact the paramedics because they thought I was losing the plot.

“I was so scared and I didn’t know what to do with myself.

Megan* says the situation was made harder because the only people she saw were people who knew him too. She was also scared to call anyone in case he was listening in to the phone call.

“I had no one to turn to. I tried to go to my family and they just told me it was because I was taking drugs. I felt they didn’t listen to what I was saying or believe me.”

“My ex had me in the right place, because if I told anyone about what was happening, people just told me it was all in my head.”

It was three months after first telling the police that they worked out what was happening: “He bugged my house and he was spying on me with cameras.”

He had also bugged her phone and was getting information on all her calls, texts and online activity: “I was sat next to my ex one day and I had my phone in my lap. I’d taken the battery out and he turned to me and made a comment about someone texting and ringing. He was getting all the info on his computer.”