Latest news with #Saper
New York Post
15-05-2025
- New York Post
Influencer claims police used her as ‘bait' to catch a stalker in Bali: ‘Hunted like prey'
An American travel influencer living in Bali has claimed she felt 'hunted like prey' and was used by local police as 'bait' to trap a British stalker, who arrived on the popular Indonesian island after forming an infatuation with her. An English court has heard how British man, Rob Keating, allegedly sent 'incessant and constant' emails and video messages to popular travel influencer Alexandra Saper, 33, for a year. It is also alleged Saper received continuous harassment by Keating in the months before he flew to Bali from the UK in January 2023. Jurors during the court hearing at Portsmouth crown court heard the 39-year-old man booked a one-way ticket to Bali, telling Saper: 'Flights booked baby girl.' He then allegedly told the influencer 'you're never getting rid of me' after landing, as reported by The Sun. The man, who allegedly travelled with rope in his luggage, called Saper his 'queen' and warned her that he was practicing his disguises and that 'I will see you when you agree to meet me, or I have a suitcase for you to fit in,' the court heard. Saper, a former lawyer turned influencer who now earns a living from her 100,000-follower page called 'The Wayfaress,' told the jury that she was forced to flee Bali in fear of Keating finding her and went to Laos to distance herself. 'He sent me a photo of a body in a suitcase and said he was going to kidnap me,' she claimed of the mountains of emails she would receive. 4 American travel influencer Alexandra Saper claims that police in Bali used her as 'bait' to trap a stalker. Instagram/@thewayfaress 4 Rob Keating is on trial in the UK for allegedly stalking Saper. 'I blocked him on everything and never responded, so that was a pretty clear indication of not wanting contact. 'I was aware that he was talking about coming to Bali, but I didn't think it would actually happen.' Saper said that when Keating arrived in Bali, she informed local police of the situation and booked herself into a hotel. The Times reported local authorities forced her to act as 'bait' to meet him in public. According to the publication, Saper sent Keating an email — which a friend wrote from her account — saying that while she did not want contact, she would meet in a public place. 4 Saper has 100,000 followers on her 'The Wayfaress' Instagram page. Instagram/@thewayfaress Saper claims the 'bait' email was a desperate bid to get police to help, but claims that they ultimately did nothing to assist and she instead fled to Laos so that she was no longer in the same country as Keating. The travel influencer said she saw pictures on Keating's Instagram page that showed he had visited one of her regular bars in Bali, and that he also went to a cafe just 50 yards from her house. Along with informing local police, Saper said she spoke to the US and the UK embassies in the country. Keating was arrested on his arrival back to the UK in March 2023 where police found 'black rope' in his suitcase, the court heard. Prosecutor Alexandra Bull said Keating first got in touch with Saper in 2022 by sending her a 'weird and creepy' message on Instagram. She replied, asking, 'Dude, why are you following me if you don't like my content' before blocking him. But Keating, who was living in his sister's garage at the time, found her business email and began bombarding her, jurors heard. The messages turned 'intense' and 'sexual in nature' later in 2022, it was said. In September that year, Keating described having sex with Saper 'to some length' in a video of himself talking to the camera. 'He was speaking to her as though they were in a relationship, like he was in love with her and she with him,' Bull added. In one email, Keating allegedly said he loved her and would do 'whatever it takes' to be together. 'If that involves kidnapping then so be it,' he allegedly added. 4 Saper claims that Keating threatened to kidnap her. Instagram/@thewayfaress In January 2023, Keating said he would quit his traffic job and 'come and find her' in Bali. At this point, he had sent her around 30 videos of himself talking to the camera alongside 'hundreds' of emails, jurors heard. In her video evidence, Saper said he thought she was sending him secret messages through her Instagram posts. 'His interpretation of these posts was that they were secret coded messages about my love for him, or me asking him to come to Bali because I wanted to see him,' she added. 'He was convinced that I had asked him to come to Bali.' As a result, Saper said she stopped posting on Instagram and had to cancel work projects. She also told the court she became 'depressed' and stopped leaving the house because of Keating's actions. In his police interview, Keating claimed he was not sexually attracted to the influencer but accused her of showing an 'interest' in him. He allegedly continued the stalking campaign between September and November 2024 and posted a picture of a plane ticket from London to Bali with the caption 'round 2' on his Instagram. The trial is still underway, and Keating denies two counts of stalking involving serious alarm or distress. – with The Sun
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
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. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Daily Mirror
15-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Stalker came to influencer's home with rope and horror '50 Shades of Grey' plan
A court found sinister Rob Keating targeted Alexandra Saper with a plot to abduct and 'go 50 Shades of Grey' on the American social media influencer after he became obsessed A 'delusional' British stalker faces jail after being found guilty of threatening to kidnap an American travel influencer and then travelling to her home in Bali with rope in his suitcase. Rob Keating sent 'incessant and constant' messages to Alexandra Saper in which he shared his graphic sexual fantasies including that he would 'go 50 Shades of Grey' on her and wanted to abduct her. The 39-year-old went 'from follower to stalker' after becoming obsessed with her posts on Instagram, booking a one way ticket to the tropical Indonesian paradise while warning her to 'get kidnapp insurance'. He visited bars and restaurants just metres from her home and continued to message her whilst she was in Bali, telling her 'you're never getting rid of me'. Ms 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. 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 between September and November 2024, at which point he lived in Horsham in West Sussex. Keating posted a picture of a plane ticket from London to Bali with the caption 'round 2' on his Instagram in November. Keating was subsequently arrested. Now, at Portsmouth Crown Court, Hants, he has been found guilty of two counts of stalking involving serious harm or distress following a 6 day trial. The jury deliberated for just two hours and, when reading the verdict to Keating, Judge Michael Bowes KC said a prison sentence was 'inevitable'. Closing the case, prosecutor Alexandra Bull 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." She continued: "Her job is to appeal to a wider audience and he knows that, this is a wilful delusion. "Does this justify his behaviour, he provides himself with an excuse, he tries to convince himself Ms Saper is trying to contact him, it is just his fantasy." The 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'. She blocked Keating on the social media platform after he shared extracts from the erotic S&M novel 50 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. 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 the nearby Southeast Asian country of 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. 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. He will be sentenced at a later date.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
British ‘stalker' followed US travel influencer to Bali
Alexandra Saper, an American influencer, claimed Rob Keating followed her to Bali, a court heard A British 'stalker' followed an American travel influencer to Bali with a rope in his suitcase, a court has heard. Rob Keating is alleged to have booked a one-way ticket to the Indonesian island after almost a year of harassing Alexandra Saper, an Instagram blogger, with emails and video messages. 'You're never getting rid of me,' he messaged Ms Saper on arrival before visiting bars and cafés near her island home, Portsmouth Crown Court was told. Ms Saper, 33, a former lawyer who now earns a living from her Instagram page, The Wayfaress, which has more than 100,000 followers, told the jury that she was forced to flee the country in fear. Mr Keating, a traffic worker living in his sister's garage in Havant, Hants, at the time, was arrested when he returned to the UK with 'black rope' in his suitcase, the court heard. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of stalking involving serious alarm or distress. Alexandra Saper loves to travel across the world Ms Saper shares her adventures on Instagram Opening the case, Alexandra Bull, prosecuting, told the court: 'Mr Keating is now 39 years old, between 2022 and 2023 he was living in his sister's garage... and working in a traffic job and he, too, frequently posted on social media and YouTube.' He started following Ms Saper on Instagram in 2022 and sent her a 'weird and creepy' message, to which she replied 'Dude, why are you following me if you don't like my content', the court heard. Ms Saper blocked Mr Keating, but he 'then found her business email connected to her website,' the prosecutor said. The contact is said to have become 'incessant and constant' and grew more 'intense' and 'sexual in nature' later into 2022. In September, Mr Keating 'described having sex with her to some length' in a video of himself talking to the camera, the court heard. 'He was speaking to her as though they were in a relationship, like he was in love with her and she with him,' Ms Bull said. One email included a threat to abduct her, she added. The Instagram travel influencer has more than 100,000 followers Ms Saper post scenes of her visits on her Instagram page, The Wayfaress Ms Saper said in a video interview played to the court: 'He sent me a photo of a body in a suitcase and said he was going to kidnap me.' She added that he said he knew she was 5ft 2in, which meant she would 'fit inside the suitcase'. Ms Bull told the court he also sent Ms Saper a picture of a one-way ticket to Bali and said 'flights booked baby girl' along with around 30 videos of himself talking to the camera. Ms Saper saw from posts on his Instagram page that he visited a bar she regularly went to with her friends, and went to cafés just 50 metres from her house, the court heard. In her video evidence, she said he thought she was sending him secret messages through her Instagram posts. She said: 'His interpretation of these posts was that they were secret coded messages about my love for him, or me asking him to come to Bali because I wanted to see him. 'He was convinced that I had asked him to come to Bali.' She said she was forced to travel to Laos, south-east Asia, so that they were no longer in the same country. She also stopped posting on Instagram, had to cancel work projects, stopped leaving the house, and became 'depressed' because of Mr Keating's alleged actions, the court heard. The influencer reported him to the police in Bali, and spoke to the US and the UK embassies in the country. Following his arrest in March 2023, Mr 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'. He continued to stalk Ms Saper between September and November 2024, at which point he lived in Horsham in West Sussex, the court was told. Mr Keating posted a picture of a plane ticket from London to Bali with the caption 'round 2' on his Instagram in November, it was heard. He was subsequently arrested again. The trial continues. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
