Psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Jessica Taylor has detailed a harrowing year-long online harassment campaign orchestrated by a group of eight professional women, which she says nearly drove her to suicide. The targeted abuse, which included false accusations of serious crimes and doxxing, is described in her new book, "Click, Stalk, Destroy."
Taylor, who specializes in discrediting abusive tactics used against women, found herself the target of a sophisticated and cruel campaign. Anonymous accounts accused her of being a fraud, a money launderer, and even a pedophile. Her home address was published online, and fabricated stories spread alleging abuse of her wife and that her children had been removed by social services.
"It sounded like somebody had concluded they were going to do anything and everything it took to hurt me," Taylor recalled of a particularly vicious voice message left for her. The perpetrators, described as strangers ranging in age from their late 30s to 60s, included a private tutor, a psychotherapist, charity workers, and even a magistrate. They organized their attacks through WhatsApp groups and Zoom calls.
One particularly insidious tactic involved a member of the group posing as a supportive acquaintance on Facebook and Twitter. This individual, who worked in the charity sector, gained Taylor's trust by offering sympathy and asking about her well-being. Taylor confided that she was not coping and was on the brink of taking her own life. These deeply personal messages were then screenshotted and posted online, exposing her vulnerability to tens of thousands of social media users.
This betrayal led Taylor to develop a profound fear of strangers and to distance herself from many friends and acquaintances. The relentless abuse impacted her marriage, with online speculation even arising about when she and her wife, Jaimi, would divorce.
The harassment campaign intensified in 2022, shortly after Taylor's book "Sexy But Psycho" became a bestseller. Initial accusations that she had stolen a life story quickly escalated to claims of serious criminal investigations. Complaints filed with the British Psychological Society triggered a stressful six-month investigation that ultimately cleared her name.
Taylor reported the group's activities to the police, resulting in verbal harassment warnings for most members. The woman identified as the catalyst for the campaign faced a stalking protection order and a two-year court undertakings order. Taylor noted that stalking is overwhelmingly associated with men, but her experience highlights a growing pattern of coordinated online abuse by women.
Taylor found a turning point by connecting with other victims of online stalking. Last year, she analyzed 150 stories for a report to Parliament, a process she described as helping her feel "normal" again. She highlighted cases of other families nearly destroyed by false accusations leading to child removal or routine detentions at airports due to fabricated criminal allegations.
Taylor's new book aims to expose the tactics and psychology of online stalkers and the profound trauma they inflict. She advocates for urgent legal and public understanding to catch up with the realities of the digital age, emphasizing that there must be life after stalking, even if the path to recovery is challenging.
"For me, this isn’t a happy ever after. But, despite everything, at least I’m still here," Taylor stated.