Alice Ruggles was found dead in her flat by her flatmate. Her attacker was Trimaan 'Harry' Dhillon, a British Army Lance Corporal who had recently served in Afghanistan. Dhillon scaled a wall behind Ruggles' flat and climbed through a window before cutting her throat five or six times with a carving knife.
Ruggles and Dhillon met after he saw photos of her trip to Sri Lanka on social media in October 2015. At the start, Ruggles thought Dhillon was very nice and caring, and they quickly became serious, declaring love within a month. Dhillon was stationed in Afghanistan when he started messaging Ruggles, making it a long-distance relationship at first.
He came to stay with Ruggles in Gateshead while on leave. As their relationship intensified, Ruggles became more withdrawn and pulled away from her friends. Dhillon demanded to know where Ruggles was going and what she was doing, and would turn up unannounced in Newcastle, gradually isolating her.
Ruggles discovered Dhillon was active on dating websites and seeing other women, leading her to break off the relationship. After the breakup, Dhillon bombarded Ruggles with messages, saying he loved her and would never get over losing her. In August 2016, Ruggles told her friend Gen that Dhillon was hacking into her Facebook account and spying on her private messages.
Dhillon drove 240 miles from Glencorse Barracks in Edinburgh to Gateshead to stalk Ruggles. He contacted Ruggles' mother, Sue, in the hope of getting a response from Alice. ' Dhillon had plans to join the SAS.
The exact timeline of events leading up to the murder, including any police interventions, has not been detailed. How authorities initially responded to Ruggles' reports of stalking or harassment remains unclear.