Nicola Roberts felt it was ‘extremely unfair’ that CPS dropped charges against stalker ex-boyfriend
‘I felt genuinely begrudged, like something extremely unfair was placed upon me, because I was a woman,’ singer recalls
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Nicola Roberts has said she felt “unfairly” treated when charges against her stalker ex-boyfriend were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in 2017.
Speaking to The Guardian, the former Girls Aloud singer recalled how Carl Davies, who she split from in 2008, sent her thousands of threatening messages on Twitter and Instagram between 2012 and 2017 until she finally went to the police with more than 3,000 messages as evidence.
In May 2017, Davies was charged on one count of stalking and another for persistent used of public communication networks to cause annoyance or inconvenience. He was given a 15-month suspended prison sentence and a lifetime restraining order against Roberts and her family.
But Davies violated the restraining order just a few months later by following Roberts on Instagram. He was subsequently charged, but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) later dropped the charges because they said there was little chance of convicting him. At the time, Roberts’ lawyer said the decision showed a “lack of understanding” about social media.
The following year, the CPS apologised to Roberts for dropping the charges. But the singer said the apology “was too late”.
“That’s the first time in my whole life, I am extremely fortunate to say, that I ever felt [I’d been done] an injustice because I was a woman,” the 34-year-old said.
“I felt genuinely begrudged, like something extremely unfair was placed upon me, because I was a woman. And it was a horrible feeling.”
Roberts continued: “I think sometimes certain behaviour of men is seen as normal or usual – but it’s never normal or usual to the victim, ever. It’s horrific.”
The singer went on to say that the incident is “behind” her in terms of her everyday life, adding that she no longer suffers from paranoia.
“To have these bloody messages, life-threatening messages, every day – it just ground me down,” Roberts said, recalling how she felt at the time.
Roberts added that she struggled to work on her songwriting at the time.
“I’m happiest when I’m being creative, with a project to work on – but I just couldn’t. I’d sit with the pen and go to write and I’d be like: ‘This. Is. S***.’ Like: ‘I can’t get out of me what I want to get out.’”
Therapy was a huge help, she added, crediting it to having changed her "in the most amazing way, forever".
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments