Grace Hallam said she was left ‘terrified’ after a work colleague turned obsessive, spamming her with creepy messages and threats – and eventually breaking into her house
A woman who was terrorised by a stalker colleague has opened up about how he smashed into her house and stole her diary – all while being captured on a Ring doorbell.
Grace Hallam, who appears in Channel 4 ’s Catching My Stalker, was left fearful for her life after a man she worked with turned obsessive and abusive. Grace, 32, met Karl Chads in May 2023 when they caught a train together on the way back from a meeting in Birmingham.
They barely knew each other before as Grace worked from home while he was based in the company’s London office. At the time, Grace was living in Watford and was in a happy relationship with her boyfriend, Daryl Richards.
She described Chads as “odd” on work calls, but said that during the train journey he was “quite friendly”. Later that year, she saw Chads, who was 40 at the time, again at a work social event at The Ritz in London. Grace told the Daily Mail in an interview that Chads made strange comments about the food and alcohol on offer, which she found rude.
Less than a week later, Chads claimed he couldn’t access Teams and therefore needed her personal number for a work reason. Shortly after, he began bombarding her with messages. He called her “heart-stoppingly beautiful” and told her to break up with her boyfriend. Grace, trying to be polite as he was a colleague, said: “I really do appreciate your extremely kind compliments but work colleague it is. I’m a loyal gf.”
Chads quickly turned aggressive, sending messages like: “You were very obviously leading me on; next time just make it clear: ‘Karl opens his wallet, Grace opens her legs.’” He also called her a “below-stairs type from Watford”.
It was at this point that Grace reported it to the police, but she was told they couldn’t do anything at that point. She also raised the situation to her manager, but shortly after the company started to investigate his behaviour, he resigned.
Chads continued to contact Grace, who was now emailing the police every day. She told the Mail: “I was terrified he was going to find, kidnap and rape me… or worse.”
When Chads sent a gift to her house, Grace became even more scared. Her boyfriend moved in and the couple installed a Ring doorbell outside their home. However, Chads then sent another gift – a bouquet of flowers – and begged Grace to not “shut him out” of her life.
The situation worsened a week before Christmas when Grace’s boyfriend picked up one of Chads calls. The stalker told him he knew where he lived and threatened to “blow” his brains out, adding: “I will rape your girlfriend in front of you.”
Chads’ actions escalated further as he turned up at Grace’s home. He was spotted on the camera doorbell kicking at the front door, before smashing in a window and entering the property. He had destroyed the bathroom, causing thousands of pounds of damage, and stole Grace’s journal.
Grace and Daryl stayed elsewhere that night, but the next day Chads went back and smashed the doorbell camera. Daryl called the police and went over to the property to see Chads being arrested. He had seven condoms in his pocket and a backpack containing two glasses and a bottle of wine.
Chads pleaded not guilty to stalking with fear of violence against two victims (Grace and Daryl), burglary on December 17, 2023, criminal damage on December 18, 2023 and trespassing with the intent to commit a relevant sexual offence between December 17 and 18 2023.
Grace was forced to testify against him and he was found guilty following a nine-day trial on Thursday 13 June, 2024. Chads was sentenced to eight years and three months in prison in October 2024, and was also placed on the sex offenders register for life. The stalker now has “a stringent indefinite restraining order banning him from various stations in Watford and Canary Wharf, as well as contacting former and present employees of a company”, Hertfordshire Constabulary said.
In Grace’s victim impact statement, she said: “Karl Chads has done nothing short of ruining my entire life … He defiled possessions that capture my most significant memories and he destroyed the last bit of hope my soul had for this life. Where my life was once broken into phases of childhood and adulthood, I now see my existence as Before Karl and Enduring Karl.”
Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Honeybell said: “Chads quickly took over every part of her life leaving her terrified in her own home and at work. We are pleased he received a substantial sentence and is not able to torment her or any other women further. He is a very dangerous man who has made the most serious of threats, against a woman and her partner – both of whom he hardly knew.”
Honeybell added: “His obsessive behaviour was unwanted and unwarranted. He made it clear that nothing was going to stop him from getting his victim, despite barely knowing her.”
Hertfordshire Police said that its “initial response” to Grace’s reports “did not meet the required standards”. It continued: “Last year the Constabulary initiated a significant piece of work to improve our response to stalking, including training for front line officers and investigators including the use of Stalking Protection Orders.”