Back Story: I’m a trainee Nurse, the University I attend gives students credit to an online website to order items you may need for studying, like many other students I took advantage and ordered what I needed. However, I was not home when my order was delivered. My item was left with a neighbour. He rang me to inform me he had my parcel and texted me as-well as  receiving an email from DPD informing me it was left at his address. This man proceeded to call and text me as he now had access to my personal mobile number.

After collecting my parcel from my neighbour, he proceeded to message and call me despite having no reason to do so, messages from him quickly became inappropriate and I was receiving unwarranted sexualised photographs. Due to the fact we were neighbours, I became uncomfortable in my own home. Over the following few days, he began asking me to come to his house to have sex with him which he would pay me for. Of course, I declined and informed him I would contact the police if he carried on. I began to ignore his messages because I was, he started using another number to contact me. I felt like I couldn’t escape him from contacting me. He started to lick his windows whenever I would leave my house and on occasions I would find him staring into my house, I became increasingly worried to the point I didn't even open the blinds in my house because I didn't want him seeing me. 

I contacted the police to inform them, and they told me they were aware of this man as he had done something similar in the past. He was later arrested  and he was given a restraining order and informed not to contact me. This incident was then taken to court. He was released a day later on bail, despite this he proceeded to contact me and I still felt uncomfortable in my own home. I moved house fairly quickly due to feeling unsafe due to the number of girls I have heard about on the news that were in similar situations such as Gracie Spinks’. I have recently been informed of the outcome to the court case, the man has received a 12-month community order and a further 12-month restraining order (which he already broke the rules of previously). 

I have now spoken to my mobile provider and got a new number. The point being I wouldn’t have gone through all this if my number was not printed on my parcel in the first place. How many times have your parcels been delivered to neighbours? Probably a lot! We do not know who is going to get hold of your personal details.

The general idea of my petition is to stop mobile numbers being put on parcels and to protect people from this happening again, I would appreciate anybody reading this to sign. I do not want anybody else to have to go through what I did, this has affected my studying, mental health and I have spent a lot of money to move house and protect myself when it all could have been avoided. I am aware not all neighbours are like him, but you just never know.