Cyberstalking victim calls for end of online anonymity and faster access to online data for law enforcers
- Ex-girlfriend of victim was imprisoned after months of harassment from several social media accounts, rape accusations and faking her own kidnapping
A man who was the target of a prolonged campaign of cyberstalking by his ex-girlfriend that ended in her faking her own kidnap has called on social media companies to do more to prevent their platforms being weaponised.
Jessica Nordquist was imprisoned for a campaign that involved making false rape claims, sending scores of messages and creating various Instagram accounts to harass Mark Weeks, who said he was still receiving letters he believed were coming from prison.
Described by police as a compulsive liar and deeply manipulative, Nordquist began her stalking campaign when her three-month relationship with Weeks ended. They met while working at an advertising firm in London. Besides bombarding him with threatening emails, she bought a fake pregnancy belly to try to win him back and accused him of rape.
Her behaviour led to an attempt to fake her kidnapping when an email was sent to her family, friends and colleagues containing pictures of her naked, bound and gagged. Police found a kidnap note at her London home before she was tracked down to the Scottish Highlands.
The US national, who claimed in court she had been abducted by an MI5 agent, faces deportation at the end of a four-and-a-half-year sentence.