Keating was found to be suffering from "grandiose delusions" and sentenced to a hospital order. An indefinite restraining order was granted barring him from contacting Ms Saper.
Portsmouth Crown Court, May — Rob Keating, 40, from West Sussex, has been convicted of two counts of stalking involving fear of violence.
The campaign of obsession began with hundreds of emails and dozens of videos sent to American influencer Alexander Saper, known to her 164,000 followers as The Wayfaress. Over the course of a year, Keating’s communications grew increasingly obsessive and sexual.
In one email, Keating stated he loved Ms Saper and would do "whatever it takes" to be with her, adding "If that involves kidnapping then so be it."
In January 2023, Keating flew to Bali, where Ms Saper was living. Upon arrival, he messaged her: "You're never getting rid of me."
Court documents show Keating sent a photo of a body inside a suitcase and videos threatening to do the same to her. He stated: "Either you agree to meet me or I have a suitcase you can fit in — either way you are getting 'relationshipped' or kidnapped."
According to UK Police, Ms Saper fled to a friend's address and contacted local police after her friends saw Keating near her home. She left Indonesia fearing for her safety and reported the conduct to UK and US embassies.
Keating was arrested on stalking charges upon returning to Gatwick Airport in March 2023. Police found rope in his suitcase. While investigation continued, Keating resumed messaging Ms Saper with screenshots of flights to Bali, captioned "Round Two".
In a victim impact statement, Ms Saper said the stalking had a "devastating" impact, forcing her to flee Bali and shattering her sense of safety.
Rachel Robertson from the Crown Prosecution Service stated that Keating's messages "contained explicit threats to kidnap and implicit threats to rape and murder her."
Keating was found to be suffering from "grandiose delusions" at the time of the offenses and was sentenced to a hospital order on Monday. An indefinite restraining order was granted barring him from contacting Ms Saper.