Ann Moulds: Anti-stalking campaign 10 years on

“I was beyond anger,” she recalls. “Suddenly, I felt no pain, no anxiety, just a sense of calm. I knew what had to be done, and that morning, I decided to do it.”

What happened next triggered a massive shift in thinking about what it is to be a victim of crime, and a recognition that psychological abuse can be as damaging as physical violence.

Former Evening Times Scotswoman of the Year Ann had been forced to flee her native Ayrshire after a terrifying two-year stalking ordeal.

The psychotherapist and businesswoman had taken refuge in Perthshire as she tried to rebuild her life following years of torment. Her stalker sent her disgusting letters and items through the post, and terrorised her with silent phone calls.

When he was finally convicted, he received a lenient community service order, probation and listing on the Sex Offenders’ Register for only three years.

“It wasn’t right,” Ann shakes her head. “My stalker got help to ‘rehabilitate’ him, and my life was a mess.

“The criminal justice system had created a pathway for my stalker – he had a set of rights that had to be considered. I was a victim, and it seemed I had none.

“People would say – there’s a lot of support out there. That wasn’t my experience.”

“I knew we had to come up with new ways of dealing with this crime. That morning, I decided I would stand up and speak out.”

She adds: “I spoke to South Ayrshire Women’s Aid, who were a great support, and told them what I wanted to do.

“They lined me up to speak at a couple of Violence Against Women seminars.”

Slowly at first, and then quickly gathering steam, phonecalls from newspapers and radio stations came in. Ann was asked to speak at different events and conferences.

“It wasn’t easy - not everyone came with me at the start,” she says. “But as I gradually built up this platform, the message that I was not prepared to give up got out there. The media were a great help, as were my local councillors. Women’s Aid, Rape Crisis and Victim Support all backed me and then the police and politicians got on board too.

“Former Solicitor General Lesley Thomson QC was a huge help, driving through the National Strategy for Stalking, helping to raise the profile.”

Detective Chief Inspector Debbie Forrester of Police Scotland’s Domestic Abuse Task Force, explains: “Police Scotland has worked positively in partnership with Ann Moulds for many years as part of the Scottish National Stalking Group.

“Ann is totally committed to raising awareness, both nationally and internationally, of the often devastating impact stalking causes for victims and survivors. She has consistently sought to make a real difference.”

Anne Marie Hicks, National Procurator Fiscal for Domestic Abuse, said: “Ann is a committed and tireless campaigner in relation to stalking and has made a significant impact in Scotland in increasing awareness and understanding of the harmful impact it has.

“Her charity, Action Against Stalking does a lot of positive work with victims of stalking. Ann works closely and effectively with other agencies and organisations to ensure a consistent and robust approach to tackling stalking.”

Ann campaigned successfully for stalking to be recognised as a crime and to carry tougher penalties. Her success in Scotland prompted the rest of the UK, and Europe, to follow suit.

She set up Action Against Stalking (formerly Action Scotland Against Stalking) and it remains the only charity in Britain which champions and supports stalking victims and provides specialist training to professionals. Ann was named Evening Times Scotswoman of the Year in 2013.

Action Against Stalking receives no funding, but Ann provides a specialised and free service to victims in the evening and weekends, on top of her day job.

“I’ve done that since the beginning – when I look back now, I sometimes wonder how I managed it,” she says. “It was hard, but I felt very strongly about keeping the issue alive. Even once the legislation had passed, victims were still falling through the gap.

“That’s why I started the charity and I’ve thrown all my energy into working with the police, the Crown Office, the support agencies, to raise awareness. .”

She adds: “The whole landscape has changed. It’s like I threw a stone into the water and the ripples just kept going.

“The legislation was the spark that lit the fuse. It was drafted in such a way that all the focus is now on the victim. During my case, on more than one occasion, I was told that my stalker would have to attack me before anything would be done. The psychological abuse was not taken into account – and stalking is a psychological crime.”

For Ann, the most emotional part of the last 10 years has been the response from victims.

“Every night, I’d listen to their stories, how they had been treated, how they had fallen through the gap,” she says.

“I wanted their voices to be heard, I wanted them to be treated with dignity and respect, and actually listened to. All the things that didn’t happen to me.”

There is still work to be done, Ann acknowledges, and she intends to continue to pursue funding in a bid to expand the specialised services AAS offers.

“I am proud of what has been achieved, because we now have a victim-centred approach in Scotland,” she says.

“After what happened to me, I felt worthless and helpless and I realise now I was none of those things.”

Ten years ago, on that cool spring morning, Ann drove back to Ayr and picked up the keys to her house from the rental agent.

“I was reclaiming my life,” she says. “I was going home. I decided I wasn’t going to be chased away from everything that mattered to me. It wasn’t about ego, or winning awards – just compassion for others and a sense of justice. I wanted to do what was right.”

National Stalking Awareness Week takes place from April 8 to 12.