He used to phone up to 50 times a day mainly in the evening and often one time after the other

Beverley Nicholson Victim of stalker

The man on the other end of the phone was to become her stalker.

Unwittingly, she developed a friendship with the man, took him shopping, chose paint to cheer up his rather grim council flat and, finally, asked him to join the family for Christmas dinner.

Beverley said: "We sat down at Christmas dinner and he looked at the crackers as if he couldn't quite believe that he had one of his own.

"I felt as though he hadn't experienced anything like that before in his life and wanted to make sure he had a nice day. And he did."

Clear explanation

Beverley invited the man back on Boxing Day.

On New Year's Day he told Beverley he loved her.

"Rather than lose my temper, I explained very clearly that I was not going to be a party to that.

I'd answer the call and bury the phone under a cushion

Beverley Nicholson

"I didn't feel the same way. I was quite happy being single.

"I certainly didn't want him in my life."

That was 18 months ago. The man, Tyrone Robson, did not hear Beverley's gentle rebuttal then and is still not listening now.

In the intervening period he has destroyed her life through an all-consuming stalking campaign.

The phone was initially his main means of harassment.

Calls ignored

She said: "He used to phone up to 50 times a day mainly in the evening and often one time after the other.

"I'd sort of accept the call and then hang up, or I'd ignore the call.

"But you can't do that for very long because it drives you insane.

"Other times I'd answer the call and bury the phone under a cushion.

"I could go back half-an-hour later and he'd still be there waffling to himself.

Stalking activities

"He'd be telling the cushion that he loved me, that all he wanted was me."

Robson's stalking activities included turning up on Beverley's doorstep and standing outside her house for hours on end.

For Robson believed, and still does, he was having a relationship with Beverley.

She said: "He sat on the doorstep one night for 45 minutes.

"I phoned the police as soon as I realised he was there.

Court action

"They didn't come for 45 minutes which is why he was there for so long.

"He had his work mobile and his own mobile and he was phoning on both my mobile and my home number at the same time and ringing the doorbell whilst he had his hand through the letter box telling me that he loved me."

The police took Robson to court and he was convicted under the Anti-Harassment Act.

He has received fines totalling �450 and is banned from contacting her.

But the punishment has not worked.

Restraining orders

Robson is not alone in flouting court orders to stay away from victims.

One survey showed that 26 out of 30 convicted stalkers broke their restraining orders within the first week.

Psychologists who spoke to the programme said stalkers tended to adopt the mentality that such troubles were the price they paid for true love.

At a loss to know what to do, Beverley agreed in January to appear on television.

Over the months, she has recorded a video diary detailing the misery of being stalked.

Stalker co-operated

The video details some dramatic moments, none more so than the point where she decided the only option she had left was to confront her stalker.

The meeting that she arranged with Robson was filmed by the makers of the BBC documentary, The Stalker.

Robson agreed to the recording and gave a separate interview afterwards.

The results of the filming are gripping and dramatic but also frightening and intriguing.

The film itself paints a portrait of a miserable condition that afflicts far too many people in this country and one that seems almost impossible to shake off.

The Stalker can be seen on Thursday on BBC One at 2235BST.