STALKING AWARENESS DAY
AUSTRALIA MAY 24

In 2013, Di McDonald packed up her life in regional Victoria and moved to Melbourne to help her sister care for their ageing parents. Recently divorced, Di was flattered when, in late 2014, a customer she assisted in the store she helped manage expressed a romantic interest in her. She eventually accepted his invitations and, as their relationship developed, it seemed this suave, charming man was too good to be true. And he was.

Di’s life quickly became a story of survival and fear. She was harassed, stalked, defamed, and accused of murdering her best friend. Facing death threats, Di turned to the authorities, but it seemed no one could—or would—put a stop to her nightmare.

From Roses to Terror is the gripping story of one woman’s fight to jail her stalker and emerge from a reign of terror to become a survivor and activist. It’s a story that will lead you down a dark path littered with love bombing, gaslighting, smear campaigns, coercive control, and psychological abuse. It will take you into the dark world of stalking, where victims are hunted by their own private terrorist. But it will also give you hope. If you are a victim of stalking or domestic violence, this book will show you how to take back control of your life.

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Ignored warning signs. Escalating obsession. Lives changed forever.

Featuring survivors, families, investigators and experts including Aggie Di Mauro, whose daughter Celeste Manno was murdered by a stalker in 2020, this documentary explores the devastating reality of stalking and the warning signs too often ignored before cases escalate.

Also featuring stalking survivor Di McDonald, David Limbrick MP, former detective Narelle Fraser and psychologist Emma Kenny.

Di McDonald broke up with her short-term boyfriend, he ended up stalking her for three years.

In 2014 Di was recently divorced and dating was the last thing on her mind. But a chance encounter with a customer at the store where she worked changed her life. When she ended her brief relationship with boyfriend, Max Gardiner, he retaliated by embarking on a relentless three-year stalking campaign.

This exclusive two-part investigation highlights the difficulties women face in having stalking cases taken seriously by police and explains in forensic detail how Max Gardiner managed to act unapprehended for so long.

Continuing the story of Di McDonald’s quest for justice after being stalked by ex-boyfriend Max Gardiner for three years.

After police seemed powerless to stop Gardiner, Di’s case is finally handed to young detective Beck Norris.

Detective Senior Constable Norris conducts a search on Gardiner’s house and finds evidence implicating him in an anonymous campaign of offensive posters targeting Di. But it’s not enough and to secure a conviction, the young detective enlists the help of the famous FBI profiler who helped crack the Unabomber case in the US.

Can linguistic analysis finally prove that Max Gardiner is Di McDonald’s stalker?

Terror is Di McDonald's gripping story of one woman’s fight to jail her stalker and emerge from a reign of terror to become a survivor and activist. Available in hard copy and audible versions from Amazon.

You can buy the book direct from Amazon here

What begins as an innocent connection turns into a chilling nightmare in this gripping true story. From Roses to Terror lays bare the devastating reality of stalking and the years-long fight for justice that followed. With unflinching honesty, Di McDonald shares the harrowing impact on her family and her relentless pursuit to hold her stalker accountable, a journey that led to founding Stalking Awareness Day Australia (SADA). Her memoir is not only a story of survival, but a powerful guide and voice for others walking a similar path.

You can buy the book direct from Amazon here