A man has been convicted of stalking Myleene Klass, the television and radio personality, after sending her items including a firearm, handcuffs, and a police uniform.
Peter Windsor, 61, of Mary Road, Stechford, Birmingham, had pleaded not guilty to two counts of stalking, alleging he caused “serious alarm or distress” to Ms. Klass and Katie Breathwick, a fellow presenter at Classic FM, between 2020 and 2024.
During the trial at Birmingham Crown Court, the prosecution presented evidence that Windsor had dispatched numerous “unwanted” gifts, including a will-writing kit, to the radio station’s London studios between March 2020 and August 2024.
Following the verdict, Ms. Klass expressed her gratitude to the judge, police, and Mrs. Breathwick, stating, “After a horrific year, my family and I finally have peace.”
The former Hear’Say singer testified to the jury about her “sheer terror” upon learning of the “accumulation” of alarming items.
Ms. Klass became visibly distressed while recounting to the court how Royal Mail had intercepted an air pistol addressed to her.
“It just felt extreme on every front,” the 47-year-old testified.
She explained that initially, she was shielded from details about the items to avoid causing her undue worry. However, she was later presented with a list and photographs of some of the correspondence by her employer’s security personnel.
“It was very clear, very quickly, that it was a highly volatile selection of items,” she told prosecutor Timothy Sapwell.
“It was a huge shock, especially the extent to which it had escalated. It’s a huge violation. It’s sheer terror, really.”
Windsor, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, referred to Ms. Klass as a “naughty vixen” in one of his letters. He also sent Mrs. Breathwick a letter expressing his desire to go paddling in a lake with both women while consuming champagne.
Mrs. Breathwick also became audibly upset while giving evidence, telling the court she had first received correspondence from Windsor at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The first note was something to do with how many push-ups and pull-ups he had done. It was weird. It was a note of a personal nature talking about me as if he knew me,” she told jurors.
The mail, some addressed to her alone and some to both her and Ms. Klass, had included a reference to witchcraft, the 53-year-old added.
She said among about 100 notes and gifts she had received was a DIY will-writing kit, sent in March 2021.
“I was terrified – I was terrified because what was his intention?” she said.
Asked to comment on a pair of binoculars that had also been sent to her, Mrs. Breathwick told the court: “I was really frightened by this stage. I thought he had sent me the binoculars to tell me he was watching me.”
Judge Tom Rochford also heard Windsor had previously been arrested but not prosecuted after sending a letter in October 2020 to then Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon.
He said the letter had been “signed in blood” and “pledged his soul to Satan” but claimed it was “just a joke”.
Jurors reached their unanimous guilty verdicts on Tuesday, after deliberating for four hours and eight minutes over two days.
Windsor, wearing a grey sweatshirt, sighed and pursed his lips in the dock as the verdicts were announced.
The judge told the defendant, who had been on remand throughout his trial, that the options for his sentencing next month included prison or two types of hospital order.
Speaking after the case, acting Det Sgt Marius Dinescu of West Midlands Police described stalking as a serious crime with “devastating effects on victims”.
“There are not enough words to commend Myleene and Katie for reporting these incidents which escalated and persisted over a significant period of time,” he said.
“I would like to thank Myleene and Katie for their support during this long investigation as well as for their bravery to describe their experiences in court.”
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