After suffering five months of relentless stalking, a woman known only as 'Emma' has finally seen her perpetrator brought to justice, but only after a desperate battle to get the Metropolitan Police to take her case seriously. The force has since apologised for the delays she experienced.
A Campaign of Terror and a Turning Point on TV
Emma's ordeal began in December 2022, when a woman named Chareen Moreno-Moore began a campaign of harassment. This included leaving more than 90 voicemails in a single day, parking outside Emma's home, and sending deeply abusive messages. One message, which mocked Emma's experience of recurrent miscarriages, felt like a "physical assault".
Despite reporting at least 30 separate incidents to the Met Police, the response was consistently that officers had "spoken to them, told them to stop their behaviour." Emma felt powerless and suicidal, her life consumed by fear.
The turning point came from an unlikely source: the BBC soap opera EastEnders. After an episode featuring a stalking storyline, a helpline number for the Suzy Lamplugh Trust was displayed. Emma contacted the charity, which informed her that under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, only two incidents of unwanted, fixated behaviour are required for it to be considered a crime.
The Spreadsheet That Changed Everything
Armed with this knowledge, Emma took decisive action. Following advice from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, she compiled a detailed spreadsheet that meticulously logged every stalking incident, creating a clear pattern of behaviour that the police had failed to see.
"They were shocked at how far it got," Emma said, after presenting the document to her case officer. This, coupled with direct communication from the charity to the police, finally spurred the Met into action.
A warrant was issued, and Moreno-Moore was arrested in June 2023 while boarding a flight to Spain. In October of this year, the 34-year-old pleaded guilty to stalking involving serious alarm and distress at Westminster Magistrates' Court. She received a 16-week suspended prison sentence and a two-year restraining order.
Systemic Failures and a Call for Change
Emma's case highlights systemic issues within the police response to stalking. A 2024 London Stalking Review found that police often treat incidents as single events, failing to recognise the patterns that constitute stalking.
Shockingly, the review of randomised data found that 45% of stalking victims withdrew from the justice process, and 41% of cases resulted in No Further Action (NFA). Furthermore, cases with a female suspect were nine times more likely to be NFAd than those with a male suspect.
Emma believes her stalker's gender impacted the initial police response. "Absolutely. I do… I hate to say that... but I do know that if they had been male, [the Met] would have been straight on it," she stated.
The Met Police has acknowledged its shortcomings. A spokesperson apologised for the delays and outlined improvements, including dedicated stalking awareness training for new recruits and the use of technology to recognise patterns of offending. There are currently 435 active Stalking Protection Orders in London, an increase from 285 in February 2024.
A spokesperson for the Suzy Lamplugh Trust encouraged anyone who believes they are being stalked to contact the National Stalking Helpline or use their online 'Am I Being Stalked?' tool for immediate support.
