Documentary - two-and-a-half years in the making - looks into the murder of Chesterfield's Gracie Spinks to air on ITV

The film – Stalking: State Of Fear – by award-winning documentary maker Clover Films, has been over two-and-a-half years in the making.

Clover began filming the Spinks in August 2021 – just two months after Gracie’s death – and followed their journey right up until the conclusion of the inquest into her death at Chesterfield Coroner’s Court.

As well as Gracie’s story the film features includes interviews other stalking victims and and asks if the justice system is prepared to take stalking more seriously while victims feel abandoned by the policing and legal process.

Gracie’s inquest – held over two years after she was murdered – found Derbyshire Police had made “serious” failings while investigating her complaints against her killer Michael Sellers.

In a prevention of future deaths report addressed to Derbyshire Constabulary and the Home Office in its wake Matthew Kewley made a number of recommendations to protect stalking victims in future.

They included improvements to police systems for grading and recording risk and the provision of stalking advocates within police forces.

Gracie’s father Richard Spinks hopes Gracie’s story will highlight the potential for stalking to spiral out of control to other victims and encourage them to come forward and report perpetrators.

He said: “It will get the point over and just underline the importance of stalking coordinators and advocates and the service they provide and to try and just get the message over to young girls and women that they’re going to be looked after now and there are professionals that can advise them.

"They can follow them through the whole process from the report to court and conviction

"The fear is, with young girls particularly, that they’re not gonna get taken seriously and it’s not going to be dealt with.

"So I hope that Gracie’s story in this documentary will not just show failures but also how things have changed.

"We’re by no means at the end, but young girls and women that watch this will hopefully realise the risks – some of them might be being stalked right now with texts and messages.

"Maybe it will help more of them come forward and report it to the police.”

As part of the family’s ongoing fight to see improvements made in the way police deal with stalking, Richard and Gracie’s mother Alison Ward have appeared in a Derbyshire Constabulary training video.

Speaking about Gracie’s case, Richard highlights the importance risk assessing cases correctly.

Richard said: “It’s to try and get the point over, even more, about how serious officers must take stalking reports.

"All stalking cases should be dealt with as if they’re high risk to start with and work down from there.”

Stalking: State Of Fear is on ITV on Tuesday, April 30 at 9pm.