Latest news with #TheWayfaress
Times
15-05-2025
- Times
Travel influencer's stalker found guilty over kidnap threats
A British stalker has been found guilty of threatening to kidnap an American travel influencer after flying to her home in Bali with rope in his suitcase. Rob Keating, 39, a 'delusional' traffic manager who lived in his sister's garage in Havant, Hampshire, bombarded Alexandra Saper, 33, with emails and videos about his sexual fantasies before taking a one-way flight to the Indonesian tropical island and warning her to 'get kidnap insurance'. A trial was told Keating had become obsessed with Saper, a former lawyer in the US, after following her Instagram profile 'The Wayfaress', where she posts photographs and videos of herself travelling around the world to earn a living. Keating now faces jail after being found guilty of two counts of stalking involving
News.com.au
15-05-2025
- News.com.au
Court hears claims influencer was used as ‘bait' to catch stalker in Bali
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 Ms Saper received continuous harassment by Mr 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 Ms 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 Ms Saper his 'queen' and warned her that he was practising 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. Ms 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 Mr 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. '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.' Ms Saper said that when Mr 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, Ms Saper sent Mr 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. Ms 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 Mr Keating. The travel influencer said she saw pictures on Mr 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 metres from her house. Along with informing local police, Ms Saper said she spoke to the US and the UK embassies in the country. Mr 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 Mr Keating first got in touch with Ms 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 Mr 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, Mr Keating described having sex with Ms 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,' Ms Bull added. In one email, Mr 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. In January 2023, Mr 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, Ms 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, Ms 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 Mr Keating's actions. In his police interview, Mr 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 Mr Keating denies two counts of stalking involving serious alarm or distress.
Daily Mail
12-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Travel influencer felt 'hunted like prey' when her 'stalker' arrived in Bali threatening to kidnap her
An American travel influencer felt 'hunted like prey' after her 'stalker' arrived in Bali, Indonesia, after threatening to kidnap her, a court heard. Alexandra Saper described Rob Keating, from Britain, as 'someone who is deeply obsessed' and 'mentally ill' after he sent her a message following his arrival on the island in which he referred to himself as a 'serial killer'. She spoke of her ordeal in a video she posted from Laos, the country she escaped to, which was shown to a jury. Suspect: Rob Keating from Hampshire in England has pleaded not guilty to two counts of stalking involving serious alarm or distress In the video, she said: 'I want you to imagine what it feels like to be hunted like prey.' She revealed she was 'exhausted' after 'being run out of [her] home in Indonesia '. Saper said: 'I'm exhausted, and I feel defeated today - and I have over half a million people who have watched my story and advocated for me. Most women don't have that level of support and reach and network. 'What do our governments expect us to do to protect ourselves to not get killed or raped or attacked or kidnapped? 'I want my life back, I want to go home, I want to feel safe.' Keating is accused of sending 'incessant' messages to the 33-year-old former lawyer, who now earns a living from her Instagram page 'The Wayfaress', which has more than 100,000 followers. The court has heard these included him describing his sexual fantasies in graphic detail to her and expressing a wish to 'go Fifty Shades Of Grey on' her. Following his messaging, the 39-year-old travelled to Bali - where she lived - on a one-way ticket with rope in his luggage, the court has been told. Keating is a traffic worker who was living in his sister's garage in Hampshire, England, at the time of the alleged offences. He has pleaded not guilty at Portsmouth Crown Court in England to two counts of stalking involving serious alarm or distress. The court heard he sent hundreds of emails and around 30 video messages to the influencer between August 2022 and January 2023. He travelled to the Indonesian island at the end of January 2023 and sent messages after his arrival, the jury was told. 'I would really like to see you - bring security if you must', he said, and, 'I didn't come here expecting to jump into bed with you'. Speaking as if he was Saper, Keating asked: 'How can this guy not be a serial killer? 'How can this go right if there's so much wrong inside of him?' In response to a message from someone on social media regarding his alleged stalking, he said: 'Either way, it's been a win-win - she'll have a book out and I've done this reinvention thing.' Police found black rope, which was shown to the jury, in his suitcase when he was arrested on his return to the UK in March 2023. The court heard that Keating posted a screenshot of a plane ticket from Heathrow Airport in London to Bali on his social media with the caption 'round two' in October 2024. Saper informed police he had done this, and he was subsequently arrested. The trial continues.
Daily Mail
09-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Travel influencer felt 'hunted like prey' when British stalker arrived in Bali threatening to kidnap her as she tells court: 'I want to feel safe'
An American travel influencer felt 'hunted like prey' after her British stalker arrived in Bali after threatening to kidnap her, a court heard. Alexandra Saper described Rob Keating him as 'someone who is deeply obsessed' and 'mentally ill' after he sent her a message following his arrival on the island in which he referred to himself as a 'serial killer'. She spoke of her ordeal in a video she posted from Laos, the country she escaped to, which was shown to a jury. In it she said: 'I want you to imagine what it feels like to be hunted like prey.' She revealed she was 'exhausted' after 'being run out of [her] home in Indonesia '. 'I'm exhausted, and I feel defeated today - and I have over half a million people who have watched my story and advocated for me,' she said. 'Most women don't have that level of support and reach and network.' She said her 'heart aches' for women like this. 'What do our governments expect us to do to protect ourselves to not get killed or raped or attacked or kidnapped?' she said. Ms Saper added: 'I want my life back, I want to go home, I want to feel safe.' Keating is accused of sending 'incessant' messages to the 33-year-old former lawyer, who now earns a living from her Instagram page 'The Wayfaress', which has more than 100,000 followers. The court has heard these included him describing his sexual fantasies in graphic detail to her and expressing a wish to 'go Fifty Shades of Grey on' her. Following his messaging, the 39-year-old travelled to Bali - where she lived - on a one-way ticket with rope in his luggage, the court has been told. Keating is a traffic worker who was living in his sister's garage in Havant, Hampshire, at the time of the alleged offences. He has pleaded not guilty at Portsmouth Crown Court to two counts of stalking involving serious alarm or distress. The court heard he sent hundreds of emails and around 30 video messages to the influencer between August 2022 and January 2023. Ms Saper told the trial that she did not share anything publicly until she had contacted the police in the UK and the US He travelled to the Indonesian island at the end of January 2023 and sent messages after his arrival, the jury was told. 'I would really like to see you - bring security if you must', he said, and, 'I didn't come here expecting to jump into bed with you'. Speaking as if he was Ms Saper, Keating asked: 'How can this guy not be a serial killer? 'How can this go right if there's so much wrong inside of him?' In response to a message from someone on social media regarding his alleged stalking, he said: 'Either way, it's been a win-win - she'll have a book out and I've done this reinvention thing.' Police found black rope, which was shown to the jury, in his suitcase when he was arrested on his return to the UK in March 2023. The court heard that Keating posted a screenshot of a plane ticket from Heathrow to Bali on his social media with the caption 'round two' in October 2024. Ms Saper informed police he had done this, and he was subsequently arrested in the town centre in Horsham, West Sussex. The trial continues.
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Daily Mail
British 'stalker' told American influencer she needed 'kidnap insurance' before following her to Bali and threatening to 'go 50 Shades of Grey' on her, court told
A British stalker who travelled to Bali after threatening to kidnap an US travel influencer told her that he wanted to 'go 50 Shades of Grey' on her, a court heard. In a video Rob Keating sent to social media personality Alexandra Saper, he also suggested she needed 'kidnap insurance' and threatened, 'I'm going to tie you up to this bed right here and I'm going to spank you', a trial was told. The reference to the bestselling S&M themed erotic 50 Shades Of Grey novels written by author E.L. James was included in an hour of footage shown to a jury of clips, involving clips Keating sent to Ms Saper over the course of almost a year. Referring to Ms Saper as his 'Spartan Queen', Keating warned her he was practicing his 'disguises' and that she needed to take out 'kidnap insurance' - adding: 'I will see you when you agree to meet me, or I have a suitcase for you to fit in.' Following his 'incessant' messaging, the 39-year-old defendant travelled to the Indonesian island Bali on a one-way ticket with rope in his luggage, Portsmouth Crown Court heard. Giving evidence in person, Ms Saper, 33, said that after reporting him to local police in Bali, they forced her to act as 'bait' for Keating by agreeing to meet him in public before she escaped by travelling to Laos. The influencer is a former lawyer who now earns a living from her Instagram page called 'The Wayfaress', which has more than 100,000 followers. Keating is a traffic worker who was living in his sister's garage in the Hampshire town of Havant at the time of the alleged offences. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of stalking involving serious alarm or distress. Video footage from clips that Keating sent via email to Ms Saper between August 2022 and January 2023 have been shown to the jury. In one undated video, Keating described a sexual fantasy in which he told the influencer: 'I'm going to tie you up to this bed right here and I'm going to spank you.' Most videos are filmed inside his sister's garage, where he was living at the time he sent them, but some are filmed outside or while he appears to be at work. In some, he can be seen wearing a high-vis jacket. In a video filmed in August 2022, Keating said he wanted to 'punish' Ms Saper and 'breathe on' her, and described his fantasy of touching her intimately. In a video filmed the next month, Keating said, 'I want to go 50 Shades of Grey on you', and told Ms Saper he had flights left over from lockdown which he could use. Keating said in another video that his 'ability to meet women has rocketed' since he began contacting Ms Saper, but suggested that he would remain celibate for her. In the same month, he also said he believed she was 'allowing him' to 'run with it' regarding his contact with her, before adding: '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 a video filmed early the next month, Keating said: 'Things you're going to need for 2023: number one, kidnap insurance against white British men who keep sending you messages. 'Either you're going to be relationshipped, or kidnapped, one of these things is going to happen. 'Number two: You're going to have to prepare yourself for silly jokes and fun. 'Number three: The third thing you're going to need - do I say - a bouncier bed. That's a bit crude, I don't like that terminology.' Later in the same video, he said: 'I will see you when you agree to meet me, or I have a suitcase for you to fit in. Be warned - get insurance.' On January 15, Keating sent Saper a video in which he described looking for 'intelligent attractive females' at night. He called the video the 'Spartan queen kidnap show' and said 'I'm trying on some disguises'. Speaking about himself in the third person, Keating said: 'He's the man who wanders around at night and looks for intelligent attractive females to have his way with.' Keating later added: 'He knows his Spartan queen is getting kidnapped, she's getting put in his suitcase. 'What I would give now to pick up that suitcase and go to the airport and get on with this.' Three days later, Keating again said: 'I'm out here practising my disguises ready for your imminent kidnap. I can come and shove you in my suitcase and kidnap your a**. 'I will put you in a Bali villa and you will become a Spartan queen.' Keating travelled to Bali at the end of January 2023. Giving evidence behind a screen, Ms Saper spoke of the ordeal, telling the court: 'He was sending me 15 emails a day telling me where he was and what he was doing.' Ms Saper was able to see the emails because they were being sent to her spam folder, rather than being automatically deleted. She added: 'I blocked him on everything and never responded, so that was a pretty clear indication of not wanting contact. 'I knew things weren't getting through to him like a normal person'. Before Keating arrived in Bali, she had not believed that he would really travel to the country, saying: 'I was aware that he was talking about coming to Bali, but I didn't think it would actually happen.' Keating sent her a picture of a one-way ticket to the Indonesian island prior to his arrival. Ms Saper said that after Keating arrived in Bali, she was told by police to send him an email - written and sent by a friend from her account - saying that she wanted 'no more contact' with him but that they should meet in a 'public place'. She said this was meant to be bait for Keating, but did not say what the result of this email was. On why she sent this email, she said: 'There was a man who was trying to find me and hurt me in my own home and the police said they wouldn't do anything to help unless I did this.' The police did not help, however, and she fled to Laos so that they were no longer in the same country because she was 'terrified' of him, the court heard. From there, she informed her social media followers that she was being stalked. She told the trial that she did not share anything publicly until she had contacted the police in the UK and the US. Ms Saper said: 'I shared because I wanted my life back - there was nothing I could do staying in hiding. I was sick, I couldn't eat, I was depressed. 'The police didn't do anything to help me and this was my last-ditch effort.' Keating was arrested on his arrival back in the UK in March 2023 and a 'black rope' was found in his suitcase, the court heard. He told police in an interview that he was not sexually attracted to Ms Saper, but said 'she had shown an interest in him and there could be something there' between them. He allegedly continued to stalk Ms Saper between September and November last year, while he was living in Horsham in West Sussex, before being arrested again. The trial continues.
