Baby Reindeer’s Real-Life Martha Says She Will Sue Netflix Over Her Portrayal In The Show
The woman accused of being the real-life stalker depicted on Netflix’s Baby Reindeer has expressed her strong disapproval of the show and warned about taking legal action against the streaming giant.
Written and directed by Richard Gadd, the drama-thriller series is based on Gadd’s real-life experience of being stalked by a mentally ill woman while he was a bartender at The Hawley Arms in Camden, London. In the show, the obsessive stalker Martha is portrayed by Jessica Cunning.
- The woman accused of being Baby Reindeer's real-life stalker has threatened to sue Netflix for defamation.
- The 58-year-old claims she's been targeted by '"dangerous" Internet stalkers after the show.
- A legal expert has warned against public attempts to uncover true identities from the show.
Given the show’s popularity—it has reached number 1 on Netflix charts in over 30 countries—it’s no surprise that Internet sleuths have worked collectively to discover the stalker’s real identity.
Speaking with the DailyMail, the unnamed 58-year-old woman said she thought the script amounted to “bullying an older woman on television for fame and fortune” and claimed that she had received online “death threats and abuse from Richard Gadd supporters.”
“I’m the victim. He’s written a bloody show about me,” she said of the Scottish actor, writer, and comic.
Baby Reindeer’s real-life Martha has threatened to sue Netflix over her portrayal on the show
Image credits: Netflix
The woman in question shares many similarities with Martha’s character: they’re both Scottish, around 20 years older than Gadd, studied law at university, and have a history of stalking.
They also look alike. The London resident told the news outlet that her on-screen persona “sort of looks like [her] after [she] put on four stone during lockdown, but [she’s] not actually unattractive.”
“I am very attractive. He’s not Brad Pitt,” she added.
Furthermore, the 58-year-old claimed that, since the show’s release on the streaming platform, she has been targeted by “dangerous” Internet stalkers from “a cult thing like the Moonies,” as per LBC.
The 58-year-old woman is speaking out after Internet sleuths unmasked her identity
Image credits: Netflix
The woman’s claims come after the creator of the seven-part series urged viewers not to unmask the real-life Martha.
In an Instagram story shared on April 22, Gadd requested that fans not dig deeper into the people who inspired his abusers on the show, including a successful TV writer who sexually assaulted him.
“Hi, everyone. People I love, have worked with, and admire (including Sean Foley) are unfairly getting caught up in speculation,” the 34-year-old wrote.
“Please don’t speculate on who any of the real life people could be. That’s not the point of our show. Lots of love, Richard.”
The hit Netflix show is based on actor and comedian Richard Gadd’s real-life experience of being stalked by a mentally ill woman
Image credits: Netflix
The show’s creator isn’t the only one to have raised concerns about viewers’ attempts to uncover the characters’ true identities. Recently, a lawyer has warned people about the consequences of accusing individuals of the serious crimes portrayed on the show.
“Seeking out and potentially naming individuals involved in a case, especially if they turn out to be the wrong person, carries significant legal and ethical implications,” Mark Woloshak, head of litigation at Howells Solicitors, told LadBible.
Doing so could “undermine the privacy and safety of individuals who may have no connection to the events portrayed,” the lawyer added.
“I have a claim against Netflix as this is being billed as part of a true story,” the unnamed woman said
Image credits: Netflix
The woman continues to assert that she has never stalked Gadd and is prepared to sue Netflix over her portrayal in the series.
“I have a claim against Netflix as this is being billed as part of a true story,” she told the Scottish Sun. “People are probably saying I’m a mass murderer. This can’t continue. I will kick their a**es.”
She’s even considering representing herself in court. “I’m a highly competent lawyer. I’d have to do it myself. I’m very good. I have a photographic memory and can memorize huge files. I was top in my school at everything,” she insisted.
According to Rory Lynch, a lawyer specializing in defamation and privacy at Gateley Legal, the Scottish woman may have a basis to pursue a defamation lawsuit if she can prove that the claims made in the show are false and have caused her “serious harm,” such as online harassment.
She also said that Gadd’s script amounted to “bullying an older woman on television for fame and fortune”
Image credits: Netflix
Gadd shared that, over four years, his stalker sent him 41,071 emails, 350 hours of voicemail, 744 tweets, 46 Facebook messages, and 106 pages.
Although the comedian denounced the situation to the police, he says law enforcement paid little attention to his words because of the stalker’s gender.
“When a man gets stalked, it can be portrayed in films and television as a sexy thing,” he explained. “Like a femme fatale who gradually becomes more sinister.”
Now, the supposed real-life Martha is ready to tell her side of the story and respond to the backlash in an upcoming book.
On X (formerly known as Twitter), she wrote, “Those wondering about my alleged involvement in that show, all I can say is I have a tell-all book coming out soon. I’m also going to make my own show detailing my side of events.”
“Maybe an album and a diss track. Possibilities are endless.”
“The way she comments is exactly like her character on the show,” someone wrote
Yeah but if she was actually a law graduate, she'd know that it's not defamatory to make statements about a fictional character if the character is not identifiable as a real person, because there's no reputational damage. Also, truth is a complete defence to defamation, so all Gadd's lawyer would have to do is produce the police record. Going after Netflix themselves makes just as little sense, because there is a defence of honest opinion - all Netflix would have to do is say they had no reason to doubt Gadd's version of events. This woman might well get the case to court if she chooses to represent herself, but she won't win. EDIT: And on a different topic, I've seen all of Baby Reindeer, and this woman should be grateful to Jessica Gunning for making her as sympathetic and relatable as she did. She's not portrayed as a villain by any means. The abusive writer is a much less appealing character, whereas you genuinely feel sorry for Martha in parts.
I don't believe for one second this woman is actually a lawyer. She may have a law degree but in Scotland (and indeed the rest of the UK) simply having a law degree doesn't make you a lawyer. You have to complete further postgraduate study and then do two years as a trainee. I graduated with a law degree in 2014 and never qualified as a lawyer. Given she has a history of stalking and criminal behaviour I can't see how the Law Society of Scotland would say she is fit to practice either even if she had qualified at one point. You're right, it can only be defamation if the claims are untrue.
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Yeah but if she was actually a law graduate, she'd know that it's not defamatory to make statements about a fictional character if the character is not identifiable as a real person, because there's no reputational damage. Also, truth is a complete defence to defamation, so all Gadd's lawyer would have to do is produce the police record. Going after Netflix themselves makes just as little sense, because there is a defence of honest opinion - all Netflix would have to do is say they had no reason to doubt Gadd's version of events. This woman might well get the case to court if she chooses to represent herself, but she won't win. EDIT: And on a different topic, I've seen all of Baby Reindeer, and this woman should be grateful to Jessica Gunning for making her as sympathetic and relatable as she did. She's not portrayed as a villain by any means. The abusive writer is a much less appealing character, whereas you genuinely feel sorry for Martha in parts.
I don't believe for one second this woman is actually a lawyer. She may have a law degree but in Scotland (and indeed the rest of the UK) simply having a law degree doesn't make you a lawyer. You have to complete further postgraduate study and then do two years as a trainee. I graduated with a law degree in 2014 and never qualified as a lawyer. Given she has a history of stalking and criminal behaviour I can't see how the Law Society of Scotland would say she is fit to practice either even if she had qualified at one point. You're right, it can only be defamation if the claims are untrue.
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