Stalker shared Fifty Shades of Grey extracts with travel influencer
A 'delusional' British stalker who share racy extracts from Fifty Shades of Grey with an American travel influencer has been found guilty of threatening to kidnap her.
Rob Keating, 39, faces jail after he was convicted of two counts of stalking involving serious harm or distress following a six-day trial at at Portsmouth Crown Court
The court heard Keating went 'from follower to stalker' after becoming obsessed with her posts on Instagram, booking a one-way ticket to the tropical Indonesian island of Bali while warning her to 'get kidnap insurance'.
He visited bars and restaurants close to her home and continued to message her while she was in Bali, telling her: 'You're never getting rid of me.'
Alexandra Saper – a former lawyer who now makes money from her Instagram page The Wayfarer, which has more than 100,000 followers – told the court she fled the country because she was so 'terrified' he would find her.
She blocked Keating on the social media platform after he shared extracts from the erotic S&M novel Fifty Shades of Grey.
However, he then began bombarding her with videos and messages over email and used another profile to continue viewing her posts, which he believed were secret messages to him.
Ms Saper tried to block his emails too but that just sent them to her spam folder.
In a video about her ordeal, posted at the time, Ms Saper also said she felt she was being 'hunted like prey'.
On his return to the UK in March 2023, Keating was arrested by police who found black rope and a tie in his suitcase.
Keating told police in an interview that he was not sexually attracted to Ms Saper, but said that 'she had shown an interest in him and there could be something there' between the two.
In videos he often referred to the influencer as his 'Spartan Queen'.
He continued to stalk Ms Saper from September to November 2024, when he lived in Horsham, West Sussex.
Keating posted a picture of a plane ticket from London to Bali with the caption 'round 2' on Instagram in November. He was subsequently arrested.
At the Portsmouth court, the jury deliberated for just two hours and, when reading the guilty verdict to Keating, Judge Michael Bowes KC said a prison sentence was 'inevitable'.
Closing the case, Alexandra Bull, prosecuting, described Keating as 'indulging in a wilful self-delusion' involving a 'one-dimensional' version of the influencer as he 'moved from follower to stalker'.
'He began to indulge in wilful self-delusion, all those genuine emotions he felt from following was not enough,' she said.
'The person he started fantasising about was entirely one-dimensional, they are a character he has never met.
'It is her job to make people feel better about themselves but that is just one part of Ms Saper.
'When Ms Saper's generic posts were not enough for him, he wanted to take it to the next level. What he wanted was her attention on him.'
Keating, a traffic worker who lived in his sister's garage in Havant, Hants, first contacted Ms Saper on Instagram in July 2022 with a 'weird and creepy' message to which the influencer responded: 'Dude, why are you following me if you don't like my content?'
The court was shown over an hour of footage from these videos in which Keating told Ms Saper to get 'kidnap insurance' and that he was going to 'spank' her.
He told her she was 'allowing him to run with it' regarding his contact with her, but added: 'Either that, or you're not interested and not watching these videos and I've lost my mind or something.'
In a video from December 2022, Keating said: 'You're going to have to reply to me eventually – there's talk about coming to Bali to get you.'
In February 2023, he did travel to Bali, posting a picture of the plane he was about to board with the caption 'Let the games begin'.
Ms Saper was so concerned that she fled to Laos to put distance between her and Keating.
Giving evidence at court, the influencer said she 'didn't think' he would actually make the trip to the tropical island.
'I blocked him on everything and never responded, so that was a pretty clear indication of not wanting contact,' Ms Saper added.
'I was aware that he was talking about coming to Bali, but I didn't think it would actually happen.
'I shared because I wanted my life back, there was nothing I could do staying in hiding,' she said. 'I was sick, I couldn't eat, I was depressed.'
In his own evidence, Keating had tried to claim the kidnap threats were just 'playful ridiculousness' and that the ordeal had had 'no adverse effect' on Ms Saper.
He tried to tell the court that because of the 'Anchorman' memes on his Instagram profile there was no way she would take him seriously. Keating will be sentenced at a later date.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
41 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Tony Hudgell's mother could be released from prison just SEVEN years after being locked up for sick abuse that saw boy lose both his legs as a toddler
The evil mother who abused little Tony Hudgell so badly that he lost his legs is to be freed early from prison, just seven years after being locked up for carrying out the sick torture. Jody Simpson, 31, was jailed in 2018 for 10 years alongside Tony's birth father Anthony Smith after they were both convicted of child cruelty offences. Tony suffered from broken fingers and toes, torn ligaments and contracted sepsis after his birth parents carried out the depraved abuse when he was just six-weeks-old. They left him to suffer in agonising pain for ten days before taking him to hospital. He was on the verge of death when medics first saw him, and due to the extreme level of abuse he suffered, both of his legs needed to be amputated in 2017. But the Parole Board has agreed to release the monster mother from prison, The Mirror reported, after she had 'engaged with art psychotherapy…and victim awareness work'. Tony's adoptive mother, Paula Hudgell, criticised the decision and warned Simpson 'remains a serious risk to children'. Simpson was released in February 2024 but was recalled to prison in June last year following 'a relationship with a convicted sex offender'. Tory MP Tom Tugendhat has posted his support to Tony 'as he faces the early release of his abuser'. The board had in March rejected an application for the hearing to be held in public. They told the BBC their decisions are 'solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community'. Mrs Hudgell wrote in a post on social media: 'After serving just two years on licence, she will be legally free to live as she chooses. This includes being around children—and even having another child. 'This situation underscores the urgent need for a national child cruelty register—a system to ensure that individuals with a history of harming children are monitored, restricted, and prevented from reoffending. 'Our children deserve protection. A register would not only help safeguard vulnerable young lives, but also bring peace of mind to communities across the country. 'It's time we put children's safety first.' Tony has previously been hailed a hero by Prince William and wife Kate over his extraordinary fundraising walks to help vulnerable children. Mrs Hudgell wrote in a post on social media: 'After serving just two years on licence, she will be legally free to live as she chooses. This includes being around children—and even having another child' Princess Kate Middleton pictured with Tony at the Day Centre at the Westminster Hospital He has won a Pride of Britain award for raising £1.7million for the hospital which started treating him and has also received the British Empire Medal for services to the prevention of child cruelty He has won a Pride of Britain award for raising £1.7million for the hospital which started treating him and has also received the British Empire Medal for services to the prevention of child cruelty. In addition to raising the impressive sum, the youngster also inspired an English law change, known as 'Tony's Law', enacted in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. Tony's Law calls for increased prison sentences for those convicted of child cruelty and neglect. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: 'This was a horrific crime that saw Tony Hudgell mercilessly tortured by his birth parents and our thoughts remain with him and his loved ones. 'Now that the independent parole board has directed her release, Jody Simpson will be subject to strict supervision and licence conditions. She faces an immediate return to prison if she breaks the rules.'
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Four men ‘torched Ukrainian-owned firm in UK on behalf of Russia's Wagner Group'
FOUR men accused of torching a Ukrainian-owned firm in the UK did so on behalf of Russia's Wagner Group, a court has heard. Goods including Starlink satellite equipment were being sent out to Kyiv from the targeted industrial estate unit. Around £1million in damage was caused when it was set alight in Leyton, East London, in March last year. Paul English, 61, Nii Kojo Mensah, 23, Jakeem Barrington Rose, 23, and Ugnius Asmena, 20, are said to have started the blaze. The Old Bailey was told that CCTV placed them driving to the scene in English's Kia Picanto. Jurors heard Rose and Mensah were seen climbing a wall to approach the warehouse, while Mensah also livestreamed the arson. Prosecutor Duncan Penny, KC, said they were paid agents motivated by 'good old-fashioned greed'. He added: 'They did not act alone . . . they were recruited by and directed by two others who have since admitted their role in the aggravated arson. 'This was deliberate and calculated criminality at the behest of foreign influence.' Vladimir Putin -controlled Wagner Group. The four deny aggravated arson. The trial continues. Full devastation of Op Spiderweb revealed as new pics show Putin's jets in RUINS after drone blitz 1
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Mohammed Al Fayed spied on Harrods changing rooms, says bodyguard
Mohammed Al Fayed, the former owner of Harrods, regularly spied on customers in the changing rooms, his former bodyguard has claimed. In her new book The Monster of Harrods, the journalist Alison Kervin spoke to a former bodyguard of the late businessman known only as 'Biggie'. In the book, publishing on Thursday, the bodyguard says his former boss also put cameras in the ladies' staff toilets. Police believed Fayed, who also owned Fulham Football Club, may have raped and abused at least 111 women and girls over nearly four decades, though survivors believe the true figure is higher. He evaded justice during his lifetime, even though 21 victims went to the police before he died in 2023. Scotland Yard has said that five suspected 'facilitators' are being investigated. In the book, which explores the culture that allowed Fayed's actions to go unpunished, Biggie alleges his boss would go to extreme lengths to know what was going on in his Knightsbridge store. • The monster of Harrods: 'Mohamed Al Fayed raped me' ''There were cameras all over the building, even in the public areas,' Biggie said. ''Fayed was watching the staff, but lots of customers were also seen on screen. The cameras were in the staff ladies' toilets because he suspected that women would gather in there to chat and he needed to know what they were saying. They were also in locker rooms and changing rooms. 'Also — and people don't talk about this — there were cameras right up to the entrance and slightly inside the changing rooms used by Harrods customers, which meant if you were in a Harrods changing room during the Fayed era, there was a good chance that he was watching you.' He said that the footage was shown on a wall of 40 screens watched by security officers day and night. 'There was a seriousness to the basement, and the guys looked at the screens as if their lives depended on it.' He added that John Macnamara, a former police officer who became Fayed's head of security, was also involved. 'But they also realised that many of the questions Macnamara asked were about females who had caught Fayed's eye, so there was also a lot of sniggering as they watched women in changing rooms and toilets.' Another person known as 'the engineer' also discussed what was happening at Harrods. ''There were recording devices everywhere, and I'd have to make sure they were working and we were picking up everything clearly,' he said. 'Most of the things we recorded weren't listened to by the chairman [Fayed], but it was important that we did the recordings and kept everything properly filed, in case he asked.' Harrods published details of its compensation scheme earlier this year. It allows people to apply for amounts including 'general damages' of up to £200,000 and a 'work impact payment' of up to £150,000.
