A woman who became a detective to catch her mysterious stalker has revealed how she found out he was, in fact, her own uncle.
From the age of 15, Kristen Kime, 30, from Sheffield, was plagued by calls from an unknown man, who often performed sexual acts on the phone.
He would also comment on what she was wearing and would know exactly where she was.
But it wasn’t until years later that Kristen decided to track down her culprit by downloading software to unlock hidden numbers on her phone.
Kristen typed the number into Facebook and got the shock of her life when the profile of her uncle, Steven Turner, popped up.
Kristen Kime, 30, from Sheffield, who became a detective to catch her mystery stalker, has revealed how he turned out to be her own uncle
Last month, Turner, 49, was convicted of stalking with serious alarm and fear. He was jailed for two years.
Now Kristen talks about her incredible discovery to raise awareness of stalking.
The mother-of-two said: “For years, Steven terrorized me with late-night phone calls.
“He scared me that I would be sexually assaulted. Every time he called I felt anxious.
“Finding out my stalker was actually my uncle was unbelievable. I’ll never forgive him for the hell he put me through.’
Growing up, Kristen and Turner were close. She often spent time at his house, playing with her cousins, and he was always at family gatherings.
Then one day, when she was 15, Kristen started receiving prank calls.
She said, “At first I thought it was just kids messing around in school. The man’s voice whispered into the phone and said sexual things.
She was plagued by prank calls from an unknown man, who often performed sexual acts during the sinister calls, which began when she was only 15 years old (pictured 15 years old)
Last month, 49-year-old Steven Turner was convicted of stalking with grave alarm and fear. He was jailed for two years
“He would ask ‘Do you know what I’m doing?'” and began to breathe heavily. He was masturbating, it was disgusting.’
Kristen begged him to leave her alone, but he kept calling back hidden numbers.
After a few months, she informed her parents, who told her to ignore the calls.
One day, when Kristen was 16, she walked home with her cousin after spending time at Turner’s house.
She said: “My stalker called and described exactly what I was wearing and where I stood. I was terrified and ran all the way home.’
Finally, Kristen confided in Turner about her stalker. He feigned concern and told her to just ignore the calls.
Soon after, while visiting her cousin at his house, she got into a joke.
Coincidentally, Turner was gone. But she never suspected he was the man on the other end of the line.
For two years, the calls happened almost every night and didn’t stop until Kristen turned 17 and got a boyfriend.
Kristen said, “I was hoping this was the end.”
But fast forward to September 2018, Kristen, then 25, received a call from a hidden number.
Now Kristen talks about her incredible discovery to raise awareness of stalking
When she answered and heard the man’s voice, she immediately knew it was her stalker.
She says, “I recently broke up with my partner and the calls suddenly started again.
“He said sexual things about me and was breathing heavily. I told him to leave me alone, but he didn’t.’
In two months, she received more than 100 nightly calls, many waking her young baby.
One day she had enough and took as evidence that he pleased himself during a phone conversation.
But at the end, her stalker referred to Kristen’s baby.
She says, “The moment he spoke about my child, I feared for our safety.
“If I were visiting my parents, I’d ask my dad to follow me home in the car, just in case he was watching me. I wouldn’t go anywhere on my own.’
The calls continued and Kristen was fed up and decided to become a detective.
In November 2018, her mother suggested that she should download a program on her phone to unlock unknown numbers.
When her stalker called one day, she received a message revealing the real number.
After I typed it on Facebook, Turner’s profile popped up.
She thought it was a mistake and contacted her sister and mother. But they confirmed that the number belonged to her uncle.
With her mother’s support, Kristen went to Turner’s house to confront him.
She said: “Steven denied it and said he must have been hacked. At first I believed him because he seemed genuinely surprised.
Kristen said she will never forgive Steven for what he did, and said she wishes she had gone to the police sooner
“I thought it must be a mistake. My own uncle would never do such a thing.’
Oddly enough, Turner encouraged Kristen to go to the police.
So she went to the station along with her evidence and officers took her statement.
And from that day on, she never received another joke.
Later that month, Steven was arrested, but denied the charges.
As police gathered evidence, another woman was identified as a victim of his stalking.
Last month, Turner was convicted of two counts of stalking at Sheffield Crown Court and sentenced to two years in prison and a five-year restraining order for both victims.
Kristen says, “I will never forgive Steven for what he did. I wish I had gone to the police sooner, instead of dealing with it alone.
“I’m relieved he’s off the streets, unable to terrorize anyone else.”