Adele Rennie is a former NHS nurse from Kilmarnock, Scotland, whose long-running online deception and stalking campaigns became the subject of the BBC documentary The Beauty Queen and the Catfish. Her case attracted widespread attention because she repeatedly created fake male identities, used social media and dating platforms to approach women, and continued offending despite previous convictions and prison sentences.
The story is particularly associated with Abbie Draper, a former Miss Scotland finalist who became suspicious after being contacted on Facebook by a man calling himself David Graham. Draper’s efforts to discover who was really behind the account helped expose a much wider pattern of deception.
With the BBC documentary bringing the case back into public attention, many people are now searching for information about Adele Rennie’s background, her catfishing activities, her connection to Kilmarnock and Abbie Draper, and whether she is still in prison in 2026.
Who is Adele Rennie?
Adele Rennie is a former nurse from Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Police and court records identify her as the offender in a series of stalking and sexual-offence cases involving women who were approached through false online identities.
One of the most striking features of the case was Rennie’s use of male personas. In different investigations, she used aliases including David Graham, David Crolla, Davie, Marco and Matthew Mancini. She also used technology designed to alter the sound of her voice so that she could present herself as male during telephone conversations.
Her offending was not limited to creating fictional profiles. Court proceedings described deliberate attempts to deceive and manipulate victims, alongside stalking and other offences.
What did Adele Rennie do?
Rennie’s activities stretched over several years and involved multiple women.
One of the best-known episodes began in 2014, when Rennie allegedly presented herself online as a male doctor called David Graham. The profile contacted Abbie Draper through Facebook. Draper had recently experienced a family bereavement involving her grandfather, who had been treated in hospital.
The fictional identity appeared convincing at first. However, inconsistencies gradually made Draper suspicious. She began investigating the person behind the account and eventually discovered that David Graham did not exist as presented.
Instead, the person behind the profile was Adele Rennie, a nurse who had worked at the hospital where Draper’s grandfather had been treated.
Draper’s investigation eventually led to contact with other women who reported similar experiences. This helped reveal that the Facebook account was not an isolated incident.
Adele Rennie and Abbie Draper
The relationship between Adele Rennie and Abbie Draper is central to the documentary.
Draper had initially believed that she was communicating with a male doctor. As doubts grew, she started checking the supposed doctor’s online identity and looking for evidence that could confirm whether he really existed.
Her investigation eventually exposed the deception.
Draper then used social media to warn others about the fake identity. According to accounts of the case, her post prompted messages from other women who said they had experienced similar behaviour. What initially appeared to be one suspicious Facebook account therefore developed into evidence of a much broader pattern.
Draper’s role is one reason the case has attracted so much attention: rather than simply accepting the online identity at face value, she investigated it herself and helped uncover other potential victims.
The Facebook connection
Facebook played an important role in the early part of the story.
The fake David Graham identity used social-media material to appear like a genuine person, including photographs, friends and information designed to make the account appear credible. Rennie allegedly used the identity to establish relationships with women and communicate with them over an extended period.
The case illustrates why a convincing social-media profile does not necessarily prove that the person behind it is who they claim to be.
A profile can contain photographs, friends, employment information and years of apparently normal activity while still being based on a false identity.
Was Adele Rennie a catfish?
Yes. The term catfishing is widely used to describe Rennie’s behaviour because she repeatedly created false identities and presented herself as fictional men online.
However, the important distinction is that the criminal cases against Rennie involved conduct going beyond simply having a fake online identity. Court cases included allegations and convictions involving stalking, sexual offences, deception, harassment and coercive behaviour.
That distinction matters. Creating a fake online persona and committing a criminal offence are not necessarily the same thing. In Rennie’s case, the courts dealt with the wider conduct surrounding the deception.
The 2024 Kilmarnock case
In September 2024, Rennie was sentenced at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court to 28 months in prison after pleading guilty to offences including online stalking and other related offences.
The court imposed a five-year non-harassment order, a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and ten years of sex-offender notification requirements.
Police Scotland said the offences concerned conduct in Ayrshire and North Lanarkshire during 2023. The force described the behaviour as a calculated attempt to deceive and manipulate the victim through a false online identity.
The 2024 case involved another fake male identity. Rennie had posed as a male pharmacist when she matched with a woman on Tinder. She exchanged contact details with the woman and arranged a date before cancelling it. The victim subsequently became suspicious that the profile was a catfish account.
Why was Adele Rennie jailed again in 2025?
The 2024 sentence was not the end of the case.
Rennie was released from prison on 13 January 2025. She remained subject to restrictions, including a non-harassment order prohibiting contact with a previous victim.
According to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, only 10 days after her release, Rennie contacted the woman she had been prohibited from approaching.
She subsequently pleaded guilty at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court to breaching the non-harassment order and was jailed again.
The breach added another chapter to a case already marked by repeated offending and previous imprisonment.
Was Adele Rennie still in jail in 2026?
This is one of the most searched questions about the case.
Reports published around the release of the BBC documentary said that Rennie was expected to be released in March 2026 after returning to prison following the 2025 breach.
Because the current date is September 2026, those earlier reports should not be treated as proof that she is still imprisoned today.
The available public reporting indicates that her expected release date was March 2026, meaning the most responsible description is that she was expected to leave custody in March 2026. I have not found a current official source confirming her exact status in September 2026.
That distinction is important when answering searches such as “Adele Rennie now” or “Adele Rennie still in jail”. Prison status can change, and older documentary coverage can remain highly visible in search results.
What is The Beauty Queen and the Catfish?
The Beauty Queen and the Catfish is a three-part BBC Three true-crime documentary series produced by STV Studios.
The programme examines Rennie’s history of online deception and stalking through the experiences of women affected by her actions. Abbie Draper is central to the story, having investigated the identity of the man who initially contacted her online.
The series also looks at the wider questions raised by the case, including online identity, cyberstalking, manipulation and the psychological impact on victims.
The programme was commissioned by BBC Three and BBC Scotland, with STV Studios producing the series.
What happened to Abbie Draper?
Abbie Draper became one of the most prominent people connected with the case after investigating the fictional David Graham.
She was a former Miss Scotland finalist, which explains the “Beauty Queen” part of the documentary’s title. Her experience began with what appeared to be an online relationship but turned into an investigation into the real identity behind the profile.
Draper and other women helped uncover the scale of the deception and brought information to authorities.
Her story also demonstrates the long-term effects that online stalking and manipulation can have on victims. The consequences do not necessarily end when a fake account disappears or an offender is sent to prison.
What aliases did Adele Rennie use?
Official prosecution information says Rennie used several aliases while pretending to be men.
Reported names include:
- David Graham
- David Crolla
- Davie
- Marco
- Matthew Mancini
She also used a voice-changing application to make herself sound male during some communications.
These identities formed part of a broader pattern in which online personas were used to establish contact with women.
What happened before the 2024 conviction?
The 2024 case was not Rennie’s first conviction.
She had previously been jailed in 2017 for stalking women while pretending to be a man. She also received another prison sentence in 2019, according to reporting on the case.
That history was significant when the court considered the 2024 offences. The sentencing judge noted Rennie’s previous conduct of a similar nature when explaining why a custodial sentence was necessary.
The repeated convictions are a major reason the Adele Rennie story has received sustained public interest.
Adele Rennie in 2026: what we know
The renewed interest in Rennie during 2026 largely comes from The Beauty Queen and the Catfish.
The documentary brought together the accounts of people affected by the case and revisited the events surrounding Rennie’s online identities and repeated offending.
Reports surrounding the documentary said Rennie had expressed remorse and apologised for the harm caused to victims. She also reportedly received psychological support while in prison.
However, it is important to separate what Rennie has said, what victims have reported, and what courts have established. The most reliable information about her criminal history and sentencing comes from Scottish courts, Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
Does Adele Rennie have an Instagram or Facebook account?
Searches for Adele Rennie Instagram and Adele Rennie Facebook can produce profiles or references online, but the existence of an account does not establish that it belongs to Rennie.
Given the history of fake identities associated with this case, readers should be particularly cautious about assuming that a social-media account using her name is authentic.
It is also inappropriate to treat an unverified profile as evidence of her current whereabouts or activities.
What can the Adele Rennie case teach us about catfishing?
The case highlights several practical warning signs when communicating with someone online:
- Be cautious when someone consistently avoids video calls or face-to-face meetings.
- Check whether photographs appear elsewhere online.
- Look for inconsistencies in someone’s employment, location or personal history.
- Treat requests for intimate photographs or sensitive personal information carefully.
- Be wary when a person becomes controlling, threatening or excessively intrusive.
- Keep records of threatening or unwanted messages.
- Report serious stalking, threats or harassment to the relevant platform and police.
A convincing online identity can be manufactured surprisingly easily. The Adele Rennie case demonstrates that the consequences can become much more serious when deception develops into stalking, coercion or harassment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Adele Rennie?
Adele Rennie is a former NHS nurse from Kilmarnock, Scotland, who became known for a series of online deception and stalking cases involving women. Her story is the subject of the BBC documentary The Beauty Queen and the Catfish.
How old was Adele Rennie when she was sentenced in 2024?
Police Scotland identified Rennie as 33 years old when she was sentenced at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court in September 2024.
Who is Abbie Draper?
Abbie Draper is a former Miss Scotland finalist who became suspicious of a man calling himself David Graham. Her investigation eventually revealed that the online identity was connected to Adele Rennie.
What was Adele Rennie’s 2024 prison sentence?
She received a 28-month prison sentence at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court in September 2024. The sentence related to online stalking and other offences.
Is Adele Rennie still in prison?
Reports surrounding the 2026 documentary said she was due to be released in March 2026. As of September 2026, I have not found a current official source confirming her exact custody status, so it would be misleading to state that she is definitely still imprisoned.
Where is Adele Rennie from?
Adele Rennie is from Kilmarnock in Ayrshire, Scotland. Her criminal cases were heard at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court.
Final thoughts
The Adele Rennie case is far more complicated than a simple story about someone creating a fake Facebook profile. It developed into a prolonged pattern of online deception, stalking and manipulation that resulted in multiple convictions and prison sentences.
The story of Abbie Draper and the other women involved also shows why victims of online abuse should be taken seriously. A fake identity may begin with a message or friend request, but persistent deception and unwanted contact can have consequences far beyond the internet.
For readers discovering the case through The Beauty Queen and the Catfish, the documentary provides the human perspective behind a criminal case that has continued to attract attention years after the first fake profile appeared online.
