Stalking | Harassment – Assistance from Private Detectives

In life, everyone meets thousands of people – in kindergarten, at school and university, during training and in professional life. Some of them one may not like, with many one generally gets along well, and a few are particularly likeable. The latter can lead to marriage – or to disaster, as in the following case handled by Kurtz Investigations Dortmund:

Case Study: Stalking in Dortmund

Persistent Personal Interest from a Customer

Hugo T. (all names changed), a merchant by profession, was nearly 50 years old and ran a small retail shop on the eastern outskirts of Dortmund. Since October 2000, he had been selling his goods in this district and had built up a considerable regular clientele. He was married and had a 15-year-old daughter. Hugo enjoyed direct contact with his customers, around 60 percent of whom were over 65. Here a brief chat about this and that, there a conversation about family or shared hobbies. Over the years, Hugo had developed an almost friendly relationship with some of them, so that when they met by chance, they would occasionally enjoy a cup of coffee together in a nearby café or restaurant, and with others he undertook small cycling tours or hiking trips. Naturally, private matters were sometimes discussed.

Among these long-standing regulars was a woman, Doris S., two years younger than Hugo. One day, when she entered the shop, another regular customer was already there, discussing with Hugo which hiking route in the Sauerland they should take at the weekend. After that customer left, Doris asked during the sale whether Hugo might like to go for a coffee with her sometime. Hugo – naturally kind-hearted and charming – agreed. Two days later, Doris appeared again and wanted to pick him up during his lunch break. However, Hugo had already scheduled a meeting with a supplier, so he told her she could come the next day; today would not be possible. He was slightly surprised when she shot him an angry look and said he should have been honest if he was not interested. Unfortunately, Hugo’s internal alarm bells did not ring at the time; otherwise, he would have realised that something was amiss and that he would soon need the help of our private detectives in Dortmund.

Sender-Receiver Problem: She sees willingness for a relationship, he only wants to chat

Because Hugo knew the interested Doris merely as a pleasant, articulate regular customer, he assured her that he genuinely had another engagement and would gladly go to the café with her the following day. During that coffee meeting, they exchanged phone numbers and email addresses and spoke about private matters – for example, Doris’s bad experiences with men or that Hugo was unhappy in his marriage but not yet ready to divorce. Everything seemed harmonious and harmless, yet after this coffee, Doris began to visit the shop roughly every third day, wanting to spend lunch with Hugo. Apparently, she interpreted his casual, spontaneous remark about his marriage as an invitation. When perceived invitations are followed by subjective rejection, this misperception often fuels the obsession of someone prone to stalking, as our Dortmund detectives have observed in other cases.

Gradually, Hugo became overwhelmed and asked Doris not to come so often. She shot him another bitter glance and left wordlessly. From that point on, he received six to eight emails from her daily. Initially, she apologised at length for bothering him so often. Once Hugo assured her that everything was fine and he bore no grudge, she began “stalking” him again gradually. With kind words, she won him over once more, so that one day they not only shared a coffee but also visited an exhibition together.

Lured Home Under Pretext

From then on, Doris became even more persistent, to the point of being intrusive. Hugo, belonging to the kind of person who finds it hard to refuse others’ requests, allowed himself to be persuaded by Doris to do occasional activities together – small cycling trips, cinema visits, and the like. Until her birthday, to which she invited him alongside some friends and colleagues. Naive as he sometimes was, Hugo accepted and went to Doris’s birthday party after shop closing, armed with flowers and champagne. On entering, he realised he was apparently the first guest; no one else was present. Doris greeted him with a kiss on the cheek and explained at length that supposedly all her relatives were down with a stomach virus, and most of her colleagues had an unexpected meeting. By now, Hugo slowly realised her intentions. He handed her the flowers and champagne, saying he had no time – regrettably, he used an excuse instead of telling her outright that nothing beyond friendship was possible.

From that point, Hugo received dozens of emails, text messages, and calls daily, which he ignored. Doris repeatedly appeared at the shop wanting to speak to him, but he always turned her away. After a few days, he noticed by chance that she followed him almost every day during lunch. She even managed on several occasions to find the restaurant where he was sitting and act as if their meeting were coincidental.

Investigation Findings: Continuous Stalking

Eventually, Hugo had enough and filed a report with the police. However, he was informed that without evidence (e.g., witness statements or threatening messages) little could be done. Consequently, Hugo sought advice on documenting the harassment and came across Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund. Our investigators advised him on the approach. It was agreed that complex investigative tactics (e.g., a trap for the stalker) were unnecessary, as the harassment occurred with such persistence and regularity that it could easily be proven through observation. Hugo informed our Dortmund detectives for five days about his whereabouts, and we observed the relevant locations. Each time the stalker appeared in the immediate vicinity, photographic evidence could be captured.

During the observations, the full extent of the stalking became apparent: Doris did not appear just once or twice a day but followed Hugo almost constantly – 10 to 16 hours per day. Direct interaction with the victim was just the tip of the iceberg. In reality, Hugo had scarcely a moment unobserved. Subsequently, through his lawyer, Hugo obtained a restraining order against Doris. She did not contest it, but Hugo still received emails in which Doris threatened that she would not tolerate this treatment and that he would see what she was capable of. She continued to call him on his mobile and at the shop, but he immediately hung up. For about two months, she continued following him when he left the store. Hugo had to enlist the help of our Dortmund detectives once again. The collected evidence was then forwarded by his lawyer to the authorities, who threatened the stalker with criminal action. Eventually, peace was restored.

Note

To preserve discretion and protect the personal rights of clients and subjects, all names and locations in this case report have been changed beyond recognition.