The father of Alice Ruggles, who was murdered by an obsessive stalker in Gateshead in 2016, has bravely joined pupils at a Sunderland school to see how the charitable Trust, set up in her memory, is sharing Alice’s devastating story through a new schools initiative.

The school assemblies project, delivered by The Alice Ruggles Trust, is free to secondary schools across the Northumbria Police force area and aims to help prevent what happened to Alice from happening to others.

The scheme has been funded by Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Susan Dungworth, who also joined Alice’s dad, Clive, to see the impactful assembly being delivered.

Students at Sandhill View Academy in Sunderland attended the 30-minute assembly, ahead of National Stalking Awareness Week (NSAW) 21-25 April. The school is one of 18 across the force area to have signed up for the assembly.

The Alice Ruggles Trust was set up by Alice’s loved ones to educate people around stalking, the potential risks of stalking, and what they can do about it.

Like many stalking victims, Alice did not realise the very real danger that she was in at the hands of her obsessive ex-partner. Nor was the danger fully recognised by her family, her friends or the police.

The project has therefore been designed to raise awareness of the fixated, obsessive, unwanted and repeated behaviours that can lead to stalking, and how to seek help.  It is also focused on prevention and getting the message across to young people that they should seek support when patterns of repeated, unwanted behaviours make them feel uncomfortable and uneasy – so they can access support before behaviours become fixated and obsessive.

By the end of the assembly students should:

  • begin to recognise what stalking is and understand it should be taken seriously;
  • know where to go for support or information if they think they are being stalked; and
  • know how to help a friend or family member who they think may be at risk.

 

One young person said “I was shocked by what happened. It’s made me think about people’s behaviours, and my own too. Checking someone’s ‘last online’ or ‘current location’ – people can get obsessed – it can get out of hand.”

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Susan Dungworth, said:

“To be sat there, watching such a moving and powerful assembly being delivered, with Alice’s dad sat right next to me – it was incredibly poignant. I’m in awe with how the family have made it their mission to do everything in their power to help prevent what happened to Alice from happening to others.

“It’s really important, particularly in the digital age, that young people recognise stalking and have the confidence to seek support. By getting this assembly rolled out in as many schools as possible, in front of as many young people and their teachers as we can, I hope we are equipping this generation with the knowledge to recognise stalking, along with the confidence to seek help.”

Clive Ruggles of The Alice Ruggles Trust, said:

“The strapline of the Alice Ruggles Trust is ‘Putting an end to stalking’, and we believe the only way to approach that ultimate goal is to change the mindset of a generation. That is why we focus on educating young people, through assemblies like this, to recognise the seriousness of stalking, to look out for those around them, and know where to go to seek help. And an essential part of our strategy is to stop people becoming stalkers in the first place, by helping youngsters identify and tackle problem behaviours before they escalate.

“It never gets any easier to hear Alice’s voice as we play part of her phone call to the police, but sitting in front of the audience at one of our assemblies it was clear to see the impact that our message was having.

“We are hugely grateful for the support of the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner which has made it possible to reach so many schools in their area and has provided a model that we are starting to follow around the country. Stalking is shockingly widespread and stalking awareness is an essential part of relationships and sex education. We hope that many of the schools we reach with our assemblies will follow up with our PSHE lessons that are freely available on-line to all teachers.”

Assistant Headteacher Anthony Blake at Sandhill View Academy in Sunderland, said:

“We place great importance on educating our students about healthy relationships and how to stay safe.  Hearing Alice’s harrowing story and the impact on her family members really personalised this. We could see the key messages unfold and resonate with students; the dangers of normalising controlling behaviours such as checking people’s locations, ‘last online’ status and understanding when behaviours or attentions are unwanted.

“It was also important for students to learn that anyone can become a victim and where to seek support. These powerful messages were delivered clearly through the assembly, through the support of the Alice Ruggles Trust and reiterated through the conversations that followed.

“We value the strong links we have with our neighbourhood policing team to ensure we are able to work together to support our students and the wider community. This collaboration is essential to keep our students safe along with the other networks of support available.”

Eighteen schools across the region have already signed up to the project, with 13 assemblies delivered to date. To arrange an assembly or learn more about how to volunteer with this vital initiative, contact Lydia at The Alice Ruggles Trust lydia@alicerugglestrust.org

 

ENDS

Notes to editors

National Stalking and Awareness Week 2025 runs from April 22 – 25.

For support or advice on stalking, please visit: Stalking and harassment | Northumbria Police

You can also report anonymously using Crimestoppers or visit a local police station. For those unable to contact police in this way, call 101.

In an emergency, or if a crime is taking place, always call 999.

Support agencies who work in the Northumbria area:

For further advice visit: