‘Police didn’t deal with it as stalking’

ALICE Ruggles’ former boyfriend broke into her Gateshead flat, forced her into the bathroom and slit her throat six times, leaving her to die in a pool of blood.

Trimaan “Harry” Dhillon, 26, could not accept their short relationship was over and pursued her for three months.

Alice called in police over his increasingly scary behaviour and they handed him a notice to cease contact.

But just over a week later he killed her, aged 24.

They met via Facebook and the relationship soon became serious. However, in July 2016, Alice found Dhillon had been messaging another

girl on dating app Tinder and dumped him.

Dhillon, a soldier based at a barracks in Edinburgh, bombarded her with emails, texts, and voice-mails and through hacking her social media profiles, he learned Alice was dating someone new and became more hostile.

Alice’s friends said she was “frozen in fear” after he turned up unannounced – making a 200-mile round trip to leave chocolates and flowers on a windowsill.

He left a voice-mail telling her he brought the gifts “to prove that I didn’t want to kill you”.

Alice went to the police, who issued an information notice asking him to cease contact.

But he flouted it just a week later, sending her a package containing a letter and some photos.

The police, however, brushed off her best friend Maxine McGill’s report of the incident.

Since Alice’s murder, Maxine has said: “Alice’s exact words to me were, ‘How serious is it going to be? Is it going to be when he comes round and kills me that they take it seriously?’.”

Her words proved horrifyingly accurate and three nights later on October 12, 2016, Dhillon attacked her.

Last week, police watchdogs found that officers had failed to properly investigate Maxine’s complaints.

Mum Sue Hills said: “I am disappointed the police didn’t deal with it as stalking because it so clearly was.”