Mother whose stalker ex bombarded her with texts while living in her loft for 10 days tells This Morning he seemed ‘very calm and gentle’ at first but turned obsessive when she tried to end their relationship

• Stalker Ben Gould, 29, terrorised his ex-girlfriend Hayley Smith, 37, for a year 
• He was arrested after he was found hiding in Hayley’s loft for 10 days
• Speaking to This Morning, the mother-of-three explained how she believes more needs to be done for victims of stalking and how the police need more training 

A woman whose stalker ex-boyfriend bombarded her with texts while lurking in her loft for 10 days has said it was like the ‘stuff of horror stories’. 

Speaking on This Morning Hayley Smith, 37, of Cambourne, Cornwall, said Ben Gould initially seemed like a ‘very calm’ and ‘very gentle’ man after meeting him on dating website Plenty Of Fish. 

However he eventually became obsessive began to stalk Ms Smith when she tried to end the relationship, reaching the point where he holed up in her loft for 10 days before he was found by police. 

Hayley’s torment finally came to an end in January 2020 when Gould pleaded guilty to stalking at Bodmin Magistrates’ Court.

Ben Gould, 29, of Cambourne, Cornwall, (left) terrorised his ex-girlfriend Hayley Smith, 37 for a year after the pair first crossed paths on the dating website Plenty of Fish

Speaking to This Morning, Hayley Smith, 37, (pictured) told presenters Holly and Phil how her ex-boyfriend was found hiding in her loft after 10 days

Justices handed him a 20-week suspended sentence and was handed a three-year restraining order. He was also told to pay a victim surcharge of £122.

Speaking to presenters Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield, Ms Smith said she was initially lured in by Gould, who was a dog-lover just like herself.  

‘He was very calm and appeared very placid and very gentle. He was a wonderful dad, you know things women want in a man,’ she explained. 

They went on their first date in a pub in 2018 and instantly hit things off. Things moved quickly and soon after Ms Smith introduced Ben to her children. 

When asked if there were any red flags Haley admitted there were things that she may have missed.

Hayley’s torment finally came to an end in January 2020 when Gould pleaded guilty to stalking at Bodmin Magistrates’ Court and was handed a suspended jail sentence

‘There were sob stories that sucked me in,’ she said on This Morning. 

But alarm bells began to ring after Ms Smith spoke to his ex, the mother of his children, who accused him of being violent, which he refuted. 

Ms Smith broke off the relationship after learning Gould was still living with his ex when they first met.

The attempt to end the relationship sparked a change in Gould. 

 ‘They say it in horror films, but until you actually see it, the glazed look across they eyes and you can’t reason with him,’ Hayley continued. 

Hayley spoke to Holly and Phil about how she felt let down by the police who had told that she could pay for her own door after Gould had kicked it in. They also advised her to pay for CCTV

Gould then launched his obsessive campaign of stalking, including following the mother-of-three when she stayed at the homes of friends and family members, and bombarding her with texts and calls.

On one occasion he even broke into her caravan. 

Ms Smith went to the police who said they couldn’t locate Gould and issued a warrant for his arrest.  

The mother-of-three began receiving chilling texts from Gould saying he was ‘watching her’.  

‘Ben messaged telling me he was watching me. I was convinced he was in the house,’ Ms Smith continued. ‘But officers couldn’t locate him.’ 

 This Morning fans were shocked at Hayley’s ordeal and took to Twitter to express their horror

The police were called but when they searched the house, Gould was nowhere to be found. Minutes later, Hayley received a text message from him.

For the next 10 days, Gould continued to message Hayley, with the police returning and eventually finding him hiding in her loft, more than a week later. 

Ms Smith said she had been disappointed with the police response, adding: ‘There needs to be more training on the front line as it isn’t always text book. I’ve lost friends. My friends have moved house as their kids have been threatened.’ 

Gould was issued with a restraining order but this did not deter him. 

Ms Smith continued: ‘There is a massive problem with restraining orders.

‘They [the police] seem to issue those with a power of arrest but the power of arrest only covers direct contact or indirect contact and only the street you live on, so as a victim that perpetrator could be at the end of your road every day, and there is zero you can do about it.’

She also pointed out that she was hit financially by Gould’s actions, and claims officers were not sympathetic.  

‘There is a massive financial element,’ she explained. ‘The police advised me to buy CCTV at my own cost.

‘He kicked the front door in and I was billed for it. They almost questioned things and said to me “well you can afford the door to be fixed,” based on my house, which I couldn’t. He rinsed me financially.’  

This Morning fans were shocked at Hayley’s ordeal and took to Twitter to express their horror. 

One viewer said: ‘That guy is a selfish ******* More needs to be done about stalking because why should a person live with that kind of fear.’

Another posted: ‘Horrible experience to go through tbf. Thank God he was caught.’

And a third wrote: ‘This is creepy as **** would make a really scary horror movie.’ 

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