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Wednesday December 25, 2024

Richard Gadd recounts 'upsetting' stalker experiences amid $170M legal fight

Richard Gadd pointed out that 'Martha Scott [from Baby Reindeer] is not Fiona Harvey'

By Web Desk
July 31, 2024
Richard Gadd had to relive sexual harassment moments amid legal battle with Fiona Harvey

Richard Gadd has recalled days sexual harassment amid a legal battle with Fiona Harvey, who claims to be the real-life stalker, portrayed by Jessica Gunning as Martha Scott in Baby Reindeer.

In a 21-page court document obtained by The Guardian, the Baby Reindeer creator and star once again recounted the horrendous sexual assault experience, he chronicled in the Netflix miniseries, emphasising that he never claimed Scott in the show is Harvey.

According to the court filings, Gadd experienced sexual harassment from 2014 to 2017 from Harvey, whom Gadd initially thought was "harmless" while he worked at the Hawley Arms pub in London.

"She often attempted to touch me in inappropriate (and sometimes sexual) ways," ignoring his requests for her to stop.

After two years of harassment, during which he claimed to receive "thousands of emails, hundreds of voicemails, and a number of handwritten letters," which were often "sexually explicit, violent" with "derogatory content, hateful speech, and threats," Gadd reported Harvey to the police in February 2016.

Richard Gadd recounts upsetting stalker experiences amid $170M legal fight

"It was exhausting and extremely upsetting to deal with her constant personal interactions in the Hawley Arms, her following me around London including near where I lived, and her relentless and deeply unpleasant communications," he wrote.

According to Gadd, a First Instance Harassment Warning was issued against Harvey in May 2016, and the emails and voicemails stopped. However, he alleged that he subsequently received a handwritten letter from her with a pair of underwear inside in August 2017.

"Overall, it was an incredibly stressful and worrying time, with a sustained period of relentless behavior taking place over several years," he wrote, adding that he was willing to testify as a witness if called upon.

On the other hand, Harvey denies she assaulted or stalked Gadd and is seeking $170 million from Netflix for all the damages.

Her lawsuit against Netflix accuses the streaming giant of malfeasance and utterly reckless misconduct of billing Gadd’s story as "true."

Additionally, Gadd in his filings emphasized, "I did not write the series as a representation of actual facts about any real person, including Fiona Harvey. Martha Scott is not Fiona Harvey."