The Problem
A globally recognised musical artist was touring the USA when they noticed the same person outside every venue. This person would wave as they left, then show up in the next city. And the next. And the next.
When the tour reached Los Angeles, the artist and their family were genuinely frightened. The stalker had escalated, approaching the management company, the music label, and anyone connected to the artist.
The tour security ramped everything up: more guards, tighter protocols, and a private detective. None of it made any difference. The stalker kept coming, and the artist kept worrying.
Here’s why the traditional approach wasn’t working: Nobody had worked out what type of stalker they were dealing with. So they were managing it like a generic threat — which meant they were almost certainly getting it wrong.
The Solution
When the tour security contacted us, I started a digital investigation. We needed to understand who this person was and what drove their behaviour.
Then, we built a psychological profile. This was critical because there are different types of stalkers, each posing different threats to different people. If you get the typology wrong, you have a good chance of mismanaging the situation.
Our assessment identified them as an Intimacy-seeking stalker, fuelled by delusional beliefs. This type arises from loneliness and mental illness. They fixate on someone — usually a stranger — and believe they’re meant to be in a relationship with them.
But here’s the part everyone had missed: the stalker didn’t see themselves as a threat to the artist. They believed the artist was in danger and were there to help.
The actual threat was directed at the security team and anyone trying to keep the stalker away. In their minds, these people were part of a conspiracy to harm the artist.
That changes everything about how you manage it.
The Outcome
Given the level of mental illness and the escalating behaviour, immediate action was needed.
I contacted the LAPD’s Threat Management Unit and worked with the local investigator employed by the music company. We shared our investigation, the stalker’s profile, and risk assessment.
The LAPD used our research to complete their enquiries and present evidence to the court. They secured a restraining order until the artist left the US and returned to the UK.
The stalker was correctly managed, and the artist was safe. If the stalker breached the order, evidence was already available to support an arrest.
More importantly, the artist and their family could finish the tour without constant fear. They understood what they were dealing with, knew it was being managed correctly, and could return to focusing on their work.
That’s the difference proper threat assessment makes. You don’t just throw more security at it. You understand what you’re facing first, then manage it intelligently.