A NATIONAL news title has created a podcast series telling the story of a prolific cyberstalker from Northwich who was jailed for nine years in January.

Matthew James Hardy, of Forest Place, Northwich, was jailed at Chester Crown Court on January 26 after he used social media to relentlessly stalk people online.

The 31-year-old admitted creating fake profiles on social media between April 2016 and August 2021 to try and befriend his victims – sometimes even posing as their friends and family members in order to gather information about them that would cause embarrassment.

The Guardian’s new podcast series, entitled ‘Can I tell you a secret?’, explores the case over six episodes, detailing how Hardy stalked people online, wreaking havoc on their lives, as well as impacting their friends and families.

This is The Guardian’s first standalone true-crime podcast series and includes interviews with Hardy’s victims and people who know him.

Reporting on Hardy’s sentencing in January from Chester Crown Court, the Northwich Guardian heard how Hardy would sometimes ‘taunt’ his victims about his continued creation of fake profiles in their name, saying: ‘It’ll never you stop, you know’ and ‘Good luck figuring out who I am.’

Defending during the sentencing, Sara Haque explained how Hardy has autism, learning difficulties and mental health issues.

She said his inability to form relationships, living a very isolated life, had led him to try and connect with people online – and then ‘lash out’ when they ‘rejected him’.

Judge Everett, passing sentence, said Hardy had an ‘innate criminality’, as highlighted through his ‘sophisticated’ scheme of harassment.

Judge Everett said: “You conducted a campaign principally against young women who I am sure you researched on social media.

“It’s important that everyone understand that I am quite satisfied that all of your mental health issues did not stop you from understanding your actions.

“They had done nothing to harm you – most, if not all, did not know who you were.

“You chose them at random and they had to pay for it with sheer misery.

“You sat there in your room, wherever you were, and you deliberately sent these spiteful messages.

“It’s difficult to imagine the fear and shock and worry that you caused to your victims and their families.”

All six podcast episodes are at theguardian.com/audio or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Acast and all other podcast apps.