Alice Ruggles' dad joins campaign for NI stalking legislation
The 24-year-old Gateshead woman was killed by her ex-boyfriend in 2016 - she'd contacted the police about him repeatedly in the days leading up to her death
Last updated 4th Mar 2020
The family of a 24-year-old who was murdered by a 'jealous and obsessed soldier' says Northern Ireland needs stalking legislation to protect victims like Alice.
Alice Ruggle was murdered in 2016 at her Gateshead home by her ex partner, who had relentlessly stalked her following their break-up.
She had contacted Northumbria Police about Trimaan Dhillon's stalking in the days before he broke into her Gateshead home and repeatedly cut her throat.
A Northumbria Police officer contacted his barracks in Edinburgh and spoke to a superior, but not Military Police or Police Scotland, and Dhillon was then told to stop contacting her or face arrest.
But he ignored the warning from within the regiment, continued to contact her and eventually drove 120 miles to Tyneside to murder the bubbly and popular Sky employee in October 2016.
Her father Clive says if stalking legislation and protections were in place, Alice may still be here today.
That's why Downtown/Cool FM are campaigning to bring in better, up to date stalking legislation to Northern Ireland.
Click here to sign our petition.
Her dad Clive told us what happened in the lead up to her death.
"Alice was kind, clever and beautiful. She had an infectious personality and an incredible sense of humour: she saw the fun side of everything. She loved life, loved her friends and loved her job. She had so much to live for."
"Alice met Trimaan Dhillon online when he was serving in Afghanstan, and they started a relationship when he returned home. At the start everything was perfect and he spoilt her. But things started to turn bad a few months into the relationship.
He told us how he started to show signs of coercive control, demanding to know who she was with, what she was wearing, and starting to isolate her from friends and family.
After Alice discovered he was double crossing her, she ended the relationship. Clive says that's when the relentless stalking campaign started.
He added " He sent hundreds of texts and calls, he hacked her social media and threatened to release photos he had taken without her knowledge. It came to a head at the end of September 2016.
"He arrived at her house and was knocking on her bedroom window, this was two months after they had finished. When she opened the curtains she saw him backing out of the drive, he left chocolates and things. But he left this really scary message as he was driving away saying I wouldn't kill you, I won't kill you, and he kept saying this over and over about 8/9 times in the one message.
Alice then called the police and they issued a police information notice. But he ignored and kept sending her things. She then rang the police again but they filed it as a seperate incident.
Clive says three days after that he drove to her house in Gateshead and murdered her.
On 26 April 2017 Trimaan Dhillon was convicted of Alice's murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 22 years.
Clive believes it stalking legislation was in place, Alice may still be alive today.
Shortly after her death, England introduced The Stalking Protection Bill, and most recently brought in Stalking Protection Orders.
That's what Downtown/Cool FM are calling on the Northern Ireland executive to do here.