The hunted
When a pretty young student boarded a crowded Melbourne tram in 2011, she had no idea that this simple commute would put her on the radar of one of Australia’s most dangerous stalkers. While the woman would not later remember her brush with commuter Damen Stephens, his brief glimpse of her triggered an instant fixation that would leave her looking over her shoulder and living in fear for the next five years.
Crossing paths again during a University of Melbourne psychology course, the obsessed Stephens began relentlessly bombarding his alarmed classmate with intrusive Facebook posts and emails, monitoring her every move and secretly photographing her.
When the frightened woman took out a personal safety order the rejection sparked a terrifying crusade, as Stephens vowed to devote the rest of his life to destroying hers.
“Just a red rag to a bull,” he fumed. “You’re worth me spending the rest of my life in prison for ... You shall become the hunted.”
Flouting the court order, Stephens’ stalking escalated, as he anonymously harassed his victim with chilling threats of torture and physical violence. Even a stint behind bars failed to curb his crusade. When he was released, he wrote:
“Have been in prison for the
