A WOMAN has told of her horror after her stalker ex put a tracker on her car and took a long-range photo of her on a cliff.
David Malone snapped the chilling picture of Bethany Cathrae, 42, during a long period of control and stalking.
While out on a jog, Bethany saw Malone in a car park and sprinted up the cliffs at Watergate Bay near Newquay in Cornwall to get away from him.
Days later, she was sent a circled photo of her on the cliff with the caption “that is you btw.”
Malone, 54, from Newquay, appeared at Cornwall Magistrates Court in May 2021, where he pleaded guilty to stalking.
The court heard how between January and November 2020, Malone stalked Bethany by following her, placing trackers on her cars, and making various unwanted communications.
Malone was fined £1,600 and ordered to pay court related fees of £245.
A five year restraining order was also made preventing him from contacting his victim.
Cleaning company owner Bethany, from Newquay, Cornwall said: “I was jogging along when I spotted David standing in the car park.
“My heart was beating in my chest, and I turned the music up in my headphones and sprinted up towards the cliff.
“Just days later I got an email through from him, with a picture of the cliff with a little figure circled in red with the words ‘this is you btw’ typed out.
“He must have watched me go up to the cliff and then gone and taken a photo from the beach.
“Every day that passed I became more and more paranoid.
“I couldn’t sleep, and I’d wake up with night tremors.
“I was constantly petrified, It felt like his eyes were always on me.”
Bethany was in a relationship with Malone for a year after meeting in a pub that she was working at in Newquay.
At first he seemed “fake and charming” – but Bethany soon felt he was “controlling”.
Bethany tried to leave the relationship multiple times – but after giving up her own place she’d been in for five years to move in with him – she felt “isolated” and struggled to break away from him.
On one occasion, she even went to stay in a holiday let but was greeted with flowers sent by Malone, to show that she could never truly escape him.
She was unhappy ”for a long time”, before eventually managing to leave him in January 2020.
GOV.UK says contact the police if you’re being stalked - you have a right to feel safe in your home and workplace.
Stalking is illegal and can include being followed or constantly harassed by another person – for example being sent unwanted emails.
Call 999 if you or someone else is in immediate danger.
Contact your local police if it’s not an emergency.
You can get advice from the National Stalking Helpline.
National Stalking Helpline
Telephone: 0808 802 0300
Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 4pm (except Wednesday 9:30am to 8pm) National Stalking Helpline
Find out about call charges
You can also contact:
Refusing to take no for an answer, Malone continued to try and control Bethany by stalking her.
He knew where she was going for her runs, by placing a tracker on her car.
Bethany, who has since married a new partner, explained: “In November 2020 I found out how he had known where I was all the time.
“I’d taken my car to the garage for a wheel alignment. The mechanics told me they’d found a tracker on my car.
“I felt like I wanted to throw up – I knew it was David.
Even now my new husband has to announce when he is home so I know that is it him.
Bethany Cathrae
“We googled it and the tracker was from Amazon, it comes with a subscription.
”It let him know when I’m turning the engine on, and it let him know when I turned it off.
“He had obviously had two because I had that BMW and I used to drive his Audi – he tracked me in both.”
Bethany phoned the police and provided them with the evidence of his stalking.
He was charged with stalking and he pleaded guilty in May 2021 at Cornwall Magistrates Court.
Bethany feels Malone could have faced harder punishment, but hopes her experience can help other people seek help from potential stalkers.
“It doesn’t really feel like justice for how he tortured me,” she said.
“Even now my new husband has to announce when he is home so I know that is it him.
“It is getting better now but it took me a while to be able to trust anyone again.
“I felt so violated to know that David was watching my every move.
“I would advise anyone going through a similar situation to me, to familiarise yourself with the law.
“Know your rights, and know that this is a serious crime.
“It must be taken seriously and you’re not just being silly.
“I feel lucky to have got out when I did – this type of behaviour often turns violent.
“There is help out there, and there is life afterwards.”
