THIS is the chilling moment a stalker kicks down a woman’s door after sending her boyfriend “I will rape your girlfriend” threats.
Karl Chads subjected Grace Smith to terrifying abuse despite meeting her just three times.
StoryfilmsGrace had her life torn apart by a colleague who stalked her[/caption]
HotSpot MediaKarl Chads broke into her house multiple times[/caption]
Horrifying CCTV footage shows the 42-year-old banging on her door, before eventually breaking in through a bathroom window.
He stole her journal and had seven condoms in his trousers.
Chads also bombarded her with abusive messages and told her boyfriend Daryl: “I’m a gangster, I’ll rape her in front of you and blow your head off.”
The sick stalker has now been jailed for 13 years and Grace has spoken about her trauma on a new documentary, Catching My Stalker.
Grace also told the Mail: “As soon as he started threatening me, my mind immediately went to what happened to Gracie,
“I thought: “He’s going to break in, he’s going to rape me’.
“So, I thought, I need to go to the police. I mustn’t engage with him because he will just see any communication as a positive. From that point onwards, it was a nightmare.”
Upon sentencing Chads for burglary, criminal damage and trespassing with the intent to commit a relevant sexual offence, the judge branded him “dangerous”.
Grace, 31, said previously: “During Karl’s campaign of harassment I felt unsafe and feared for my life. Terrified he’d kidnap and rape me.
“Knowing he’s now behind bars gives me some comfort. Thankfully he’s finally off the streets, unable to harm anyone else.”
The pair first met in October 2022 when Chads joined her workplace but only occasionally spoke on Microsoft Teams meetings.
Grace thought he was a “bit of an oddball” and even joked to a pal he was “probably a serial killer” due to his strange demeanour.
In May 2023, the co-workers attended a meeting in Birmingham and later made small talk on the train back to London.
The pair next met again two months later at a team building team, where Grace noticed Chads staring at her.
But they did not come face-to-face again until October last year when their team were awarded afternoon tea at The Ritz.
Grace said: “While there, the topic of dating apps came up.
“I explained to colleagues that’s was how I met my boyfriend, Daryl.
“I noticed Karl’s face drop. He seemed disappointed.”
Chads eventually told Grace he had feelings for her, to which she tried to let him down easy.
But she was bombarded with insults from Chads and accused of leading him on.
He went as far as posting their private messages on a public work platform accessible to their colleagues.
Chads even posted about her on LinkedIn, in an attempt to put her job at risk.
When his calls and texts failed to stop flooding in, Grace went to the police.
She said: “They told me they could charge him with malicious communications if he failed to cease contact. And that was that.”
Grace’s boyfriend moved in for her protection, but the harassment continued.
To the couple’s horror, parcels and creepy notes were frequently sent to the house – which mean Chads knew their address.
They began taking self-defence classes and installed a doorbell camera – which would later catch Chads breaking into the property.
Grace said: “I arrived home to smashed up pipes, broken windows. My clothes were ripped up and strewn across the garden.”
Cops arrested Chads at the scene with two glasses and a bottle of wine in his backpack and the condoms in his pocket.
As well as a jail sentence, he was also handed an indefinite restraining order banning contact with Grace.
She said: “At his sentencing, I faced him down, bravely read my impact statement and took back control.
“Now I want to encourage other survivors of stalking to collate evidence, keep records. Listen to your gut.
“In the end, I was forced to take charge and fight for justice. And I won.”
Catching My Stalker is available to watch now on Channel 4.
HotSpot MediaChads was finally jailed this year[/caption]
More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online
Thesun.co.uk is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thesun and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
