Man guilty of stalking social media influencer

Police say the man threatened to kidnap the social media influencer (not pictured) before flying to Bali to find her

A man has been found guilty of stalking a social media influencer online.

Rob Keating was convicted of two counts of stalking after police said he harassed a female travel influencer and travelled to Bali to try to locate her.

The 39-year-old, of Old Crawley Road in Horsham, was found guilty following a seven-day trial at Portsmouth Crown Court.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary explained Keating's messages to the woman were "constant and so concerning in nature the woman blocked him".

In a statement, the force said Keating began contacting the woman, who works as an Instagram influencer, in June 2022 - but the two had never met in person

After he was blocked on the social media platform, Keating started to contact the woman via her personal email address, police explained.

"Keating continued his constant harassment and would send screenshots of various things the woman had posted on her Instagram, demonstrating that he was accessing her account from other secret accounts," the force said.

'Hundreds of emails'

The woman told police she received hundreds of emails and 30 videos from Keating, who previously lived in Havant in Hampshire, in the space of six months.

Police said she then received an email in December 2022 from Keating where he threatened to kidnap her, and sent links to videos he had made further threatening to kidnap and rape her.

"He also sent her a photo of a body in a suitcase, alongside videos of him threatening to do the same to her," the force continued.

"Keating threatened to travel to Bali, Indonesia where the woman lives to kidnap her and began sending her evidence he had obtained flight tickets and a visa to Indonesia."

Police said a friend of the woman then saw Keating near her address and she left the country.

Keating was arrested at Gatwick Airport in March 2023 and the force said more than a year later, while he remained under investigation, he contacted the woman again with screenshots of flights to Bali with the caption "Round Two".

Keating has been remanded in custody after being found guilty by a jury.

He is due to appear at Portsmouth Crown Court for sentencing on 25 July.

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