Please help Matthew Heath

'Stephanie' Hayden is still using the courts to harass his victims.

In September, I’ll be writing more about a recent court appearance of mine. It didn’t involve Stephanie Hayden, though some of my supporters in the gallery thought it did. I want to be absolutely clear: Hayden is not involved in my current case, and I would feel terrible if any ambiguity or poor communication on my part led people to think otherwise. Because he’s currently targeting another victim and people need to know about it.

I know Hayden all too well. This was how I was first introduced to him and why he began targeting me.

I spoke to Phat B, the author of the Facebook post, and he told me he reported it to the police, who showed no interest. So when the police first phoned me, I thought they were finally taking it seriously. Not a bit of it! They were acting on Hayden’s behalf and warned me off the story.

In 2018, Hayden doxed my family, reported me to the police, tried to drag me through court—and The Guardian ran a piece that repeated his claims and suggested I’d been given a police warning for harassment and transphobia. The article made me out to be the aggressor, with no mention of Hayden’s criminal past or the abuse and harassment to which my family had been subjected.

In desperation, I even wrote to Ian Hislop. I presumed Hayden’s activities would be of interest to the Eye as it showed clear, persistent collusion between the UK police and a known fraudster. Not a bit of it! Hislop told me I was worrying my little head over nothing and went on to hide from the trans scandal for almost a decade.

Hopefully, by now you understand why I worry that I’ve drawn attention away from an actual chance to bring down Hayden once and for all.

This time, Hayden’s target is Matthew Heath, also known as Legal Gengar, a citizen journalist behind Grift Watch, where he’s exposed questionable behaviour from public figures like Jack Monroe and Simon Harris. For this work—meticulous, fact-based reporting—Hayden has filed three lawsuits.

He’s demanding:

• The deletion of emails and posts that shine a light on his past

• The removal of tweets critical of him and his conduct

• Damages for defamation, harassment, GDPR breaches, and alleged misuse of private information

None of this is about justice. It’s about control—it’s about using the courts to silence criticism and intimidate anyone who asks questions.

Hayden has a conviction for threatening a man with a golf club. He’s filed complaints against other solicitors, he sued me twice, dropping the case both times.

The pattern is obvious. The aim is always the same: wear people down.

But this time there’s a real opportunity to stop him. Matthew’s legal team believes they can obtain a Civil Restraint Order, declaring Hayden a vexatious litigant. If successful, it would prevent him from filing more abusive lawsuits without court approval. It would be a huge win—not just for Matthew, but for everyone who’s been caught in Hayden’s orbit over the years.

You can help by supporting the crowdfunder.

So far, nearly 500 people have pledged over £12,000. The target is £30,000—enough to secure top legal counsel and see this through to the end.

I don’t know Matthew personally. But I know what he’s up against. If you can donate, please do. If not, share the link. Hayden’s power depends on people being too scared to talk, but I think the more people who know the facts about ‘Fat Tony’, as his victims lovingly know him, the safer it will be for everyone.