Stalking, an act by jealous, resentful or obsessive personalities which can also lead to tragically fatal endings.

Alison Bird was involved in the campaign to get stalking recognised as a criminal offence.

Now she shares her knowledge by giving stalking masterclasses to police and other organisations. She wants the danger signs recognised more widely before someone else pays with their life.

KATHERINE PALMER reports

IN 2011, David Oakes shot Christine Chambers and daughter Shania, two, in their home.

It was not a random act as his methods of violence were brutal, torturous and inflicted over a long period of time.

He had been fuelled by jealousy and was frustrated his relationship with Christine had ended.

At the time, not many people could have seen it coming. But Alison Bird, who lives near Colchester, is determined to change that.

Alison, a wife and a mother-oftwo, is trained in teaching people how to spot the signs of stalking, of brewing violence which can be stopped before it is too late.

Mrs Bird, 45, first realised she wanted to help vulnerable people in 2005, when she heard of the death of Tricia Bernal and her daughter, Clare.

Clare, who worked in London, was murdered by her obsessive ex-boyfriend who had stalked her for weeks.

Alison said: “I remember hearing the news two people had been shot.

“I actually ended up meeting Tricia in about 2011. I was working with criminal behavioural analyst Laura Richards, who was setting up some domestic abuse training days.

“I was doing the admin and Tricia was making the sandwiches. She was still recovering from the murder of her daughter.

“She still felt guilty and responsible. It was when I first realised how after just a few dates people can become extremely obsessed with you.”

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A year later, she was involved in the Protection Against Stalking campaign which successfully saw stalking recognised as a criminal offence.

Alison put her knowledge to good use in a professional capacity, working as a frontline stalking case worker for Paladin, the National Stalking Advocacy Service.

Here she worked alongside high-risk domestic abuse and stalking victims. She even featured as an expert in the BBC1 documentary, Stalkers, which aired in 2017.

Alison has trained staff to become qualified independent stalking advocacy case workers, and also works part time as a clinical lead for the stalking team at Changing Pathways, a support service based in Basildon.

Her knowledge has also come through experience. In 2010, she did some volunteer work for the Colchester Women’s refuge.

She said: “I have had personal experience of domestic abuse and it becomes something you are more aware of.

“With stalking I have supported both men and women. For my own company, the Safeguarding, Domestic Abuse and Stalking Training service, I offer stalking masterclasses to police and other organisations.

“The masterclasses include risk assessments and supporting victims.

“It’s an extremely frustrating job as even after the legislation came in in 2012, cases are still being referred to as harassment.

“No-one is joining the jigsaw. The most common kind of stalking is revenge and that person could have been controlling in the relationship.

“Statistically women are more likely to be killed by ex-partners in the first two months of the breakup.

“There are also predatory stalkers which are more few and far between, and resentful stalkers and intimacy-seeking stalkers.”

With her knowledge and experience, Alison hopes to change the criminal justice system by training police, the Crown Prosecution Service, judges and magistrates to understand stalking and domestic abuse.

She added: “I also want to go to universities as young people who report these things are often not taken seriously. There is a lot of awareness-raising to be done.”

While protecting others, Alison is also facing her own health problems.

In 2005, she was diagnosed with Dystonia, a neurological disorder which causes her head to shake and spasm.

It was treated with botox but still takes its toll on everyday life.

She said: “I set up the stalking service to get more of a work-life balance due to the Dystonia.

“It definitely affects my work. I’m in pain every day but I just carry on with it.”

In 2017, Alison received the Paladin award for going above and beyond supporting stalking victims, work which is still ongoing.

To find out more about Alison’s work visit www.sdast.co.uk.