Stalking survivor joins calls to legalise pepper spray

Di McDonald's stalker relentlessly harassed her for years.

She would have bought pepper spray, not only for herself, but for her daughter, her mother and friends he stalked too.

McDonald was running for three years from Max Gardiner.

“He got really possessive and jealous of anyone around me,” she said.

McDonald broke up with Gardiner twice in 2014 and 2015.

The stalking started after the first break-up and only ended when police stepped in.

“He knew where I was at all times,” she said.

Gardiner had put a tracker on McDonald's phone and got keys cut to access her home without her knowledge.

“So then it was panic stations, because I'm thinking, has he put cameras in my home? What's he done in here?” she said.

Then it got sickening.

“Used condoms left on my doorstep and I found one months later in the mailbox,” she said.

Gardiner began printing flyers with McDonald's full name and photo.

“He would just put posters up offering my services to men,” she said.

CCTV captured him distributing them at venues McDonald frequented.

Gardiner was sent to jail twice for his stalking of McDonald and her daughter but he's been out for almost six years.

“I won't be free of him until either I pass away or he does,” she said.

“I just think if we can have pepper spray like they do in WA, the Northern Territory, it gives you a chance to squirt and run.”

If re-elected, Victorian Libertarian MP David Limbrick promises to introduce a bill to parliament to make pepper spray legal for adults to carry.

“It's called the F-around and find out bill,” Limbrick said.

“The only real pushback I've had is people worried about criminals getting it, but criminals can already get it.

“The fact of the matter is there's thousands and thousands of women in Victoria already that carry it.

“Many of them don't even know that it's illegal, because you can just order it online.

“I think that these women that are carrying this to protect themselves shouldn't be facing criminal sanctions.

“If we can build a movement of people that are supporting this, that ultimately the government will have to do something about it.”

In a statement a Victorian Government spokesperson said these are not laws the government is considering.

“These are not laws the Government is considering,” the spokesperson said.

“Our self-defence laws are proportionate and Victorians should continue to call Victoria Police in an emergency.”

McDonald supports calls to legalise pepper spray.

“It gives you those few precious minutes to get yourself to safety,” she said.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).