Latest news with #TheWayfarer
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Moment British stalker tells American travel influencer he wants to go '50 Shades of Grey' on her is shown in court
This is the chilling moment a delusional British stalker told an American travel influencer he wanted to go '50 Shades of Grey' on her in disturbing footage shown to a jury. Rob Keating, 39, was seen in creepy videos he recorded and sent to Instagram star Alexandra Saper in Bali, detailing graphic sexual fantasies and threatening to kidnap her. In one alarming clip, the obsessed loner declared: 'Either you're going to be relationshipped, or kidnapped,' before suggesting she take out 'kidnap insurance' and ominously stating: 'I have a suitcase for you to fit in.' Keating, from West Sussex, was found guilty of threatening to kidnap Ms Saper and two counts of stalking involving serious alarm or distress, following a six-day trial at Portsmouth Crown Court. last week. Jurors took just two hours to convict the stalker, who had flown to Indonesia with rope in his luggage after bombarding the influencer with 'incessant and constant' messages. In the bizarre videos, now released for the first time, Keating can be heard telling Ms Saper he wants to 'punish' her and 'breathe on' her, adding: 'You're going to need a bouncier bed.' The 33-year-old influencer, who runs the popular travel account The Wayfarer with more than 100,000 followers, told the court she fled the island in fear for her life, saying she felt 'hunted like prey.' Keating's obsession began in July 2022, when he contacted Ms Saper on Instagram with what she described as a 'weird and creepy' message. She replied: 'Dude, why are you following me if you don't like my content?' After she blocked him for sharing explicit extracts from the erotic novel 50 Shades of Grey, Keating escalated his behaviour – emailing her dozens of times and creating new profiles to monitor her posts, convinced she was sending him 'secret messages.' In court, prosecutors said Keating had moved 'from follower to stalker', indulging in 'wilful self delusion' and imagining a relationship that never existed. In one clip from August 2022, Keating said he wanted to 'punish' Ms Saper and described sexually aggressive fantasies. A month later, he said: 'I want to go 50 Shades of Grey on you,' claiming he had leftover flights from lockdown that he could use to visit her. In another disturbing video, he told her: 'You're going to have to reply to me eventually – there's talk about coming to Bali to get you.' By December, Keating warned: 'Get insurance… either you're going to be relationshipped, or kidnapped.' He then added: 'You're going to have to prepare yourself for silly jokes and fun… a bouncier bed. That's a bit crude, I don't like that terminology. If that happens, that's going to be fucking fun.' The court heard that Keating had booked a one-way ticket to Bali in February 2023, posting a photo from the plane with the chilling caption: 'Let the games begin.' While in Bali, he visited bars and restaurants just metres from Ms Saper's home. She fled to neighbouring Laos in terror. Giving evidence, the former lawyer described the devastating impact of the stalking, saying: 'I 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,' she told the court. '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 added. 'I was sick, I couldn't eat, I was depressed.' In total, Keating sent Ms Saper over 30 videos and hundreds of emails between September and November 2024. When he returned to the UK in March 2023, police arrested him and found black rope and a tie in his suitcase. Despite the overwhelming evidence, Keating claimed the threats were 'playful ridiculousness' and insisted that the ordeal had 'no adverse effect' on the influencer. He even told officers that Ms Saper 'had shown an interest in him and there could be something there' between them – despite never having met her. He also tried to argue that memes on his Instagram, including ones from Anchorman, proved his messages shouldn't have been taken seriously. But the jury didn't buy it. Prosecutor Alexandra Bull said Keating had created a 'one dimensional' version of the influencer in his head, becoming increasingly obsessed. He will be sentenced at a later date. In a BBC interview, Ms Saper described the lasting trauma of the ordeal: 'This was the first time in my life I was scared all the time. I would wake up scared, I would fall asleep scared.' 'I felt so disempowered, it just rattled my whole sense of identity,' she added.
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.
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Daily Mail
British man is found guilty of stalking US influencer he followed to Bali with rope in suitcase after bombarding her with 'creepy' messages and kidnap threats
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 kidnap 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', a nickname he had given her. 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. The traffic worker was found guilty of two counts of stalking involving serious alarm or distress on Wednesday afternoon at Portsmouth Crown Court after a jury took just two hours to convict him. Judge Michael Bowes KC told Keating a prison sentence was 'inevitable'. Ms Bull had described Keating as 'indulging' in a 'wilful self delusion' involving a 'one dimensional' version of the influencer as he 'moved from follower to stalker'. She told jurors: '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.' The prosecutor added: '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, Hampshire, 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. '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. He will be sentenced at a later date.
Irish Times
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
In a Word...Anticipation
Surely one of the great and underappreciated pleasures in life is anticipation. That glorious expectation of something good about to happen. It is how I feel towards the end of April every year. Just ahead lie my two favourite months, May and June, when this country can be at its freshest and most spectacular, temperatures rise, the hawthorn comes into full, sweet bloom, and the evenings continue to lengthen. Sometimes I think I prefer these end-of-April days, looking forward to all of that, than actually experiencing May and June. Because, when living through those two months, there is an accompanying sadness in knowing that they are also slipping away. It is when I can sympathise with that line from Patrick Pearse's The Wayfarer, that 'the beauty of the world hath made me sad, this beauty that will pass.' READ MORE It is why, as a child, my favourite day of the year over time became Christmas Eve, not Christmas Day. There was the excitement of all that fuss, preparation and expectation rather than having it all laid before you, as on Christmas Day, only to realise as the afternoon wore on that it would be an eternity of 364 days before you could experience any of it again. It is why, generally, I prefer and enjoy the journey rather than the destination itself. The adventure is in getting there, wherever or whatever that might be. Like life itself, the living of which is always better than its end. You might remember that Guinness advertisement from the 1990s where actor Joe McKinney dances around impatiently to the quirky tune Guaglione as he waits for his pint to settle, culminating in the blissful moment when he brings that perfect creation to his lips, leaving us to imagine the joy of the rest. It set off a dance craze, the tune knocked Riverdance off the number one spot in Ireland and reached number two in the UK, Guinness sales soared, Joe McKinney had to go to the US as, so typecast had he become as 'the Dancing Man', he could not get any other acting work in Ireland, and the ad itself (created in Dublin by the Arks agency) won a succession of awards. It was titled 'Anticipation'. Anticipation , from Latin anticipationem , for 'foreshadowing', 'looking forward to'. inaword@
