Musician and broadcaster Myleene Klass has criticised stalking laws in the UK as being outdated, with cases reaching a point of “no return” before being taken seriously.
Peter Windsor, 61, was found guilty on Tuesday of stalking Klass and her Classic FM colleague, Katie Breathwick, after he sent her a range of unwanted letters and “disturbing” items including handcuffs, a police uniform and an air pistol.
Speaking to ITV News, Klass said: “We’re using a law that was written in the 1800s.
“Tech has now since entered the chat, quite literally. We have stalkers who never leave their rooms.
“I only wish that I could tell you the extent of the items that I received. I think some of the items have been deemed so disturbing for public consumption that the judge made a decision that they can never be mentioned.
“It’s almost like it has to come to some kind of fruition, has to escalate to a point of no return before people do take it seriously.”
Klass said she did not let her children open parcels at Christmas as they had to be “extremely careful”.
She said: “It started off as, I suppose, seemingly, what you’d call harmless, just letters of adoration and champagne and perfume, which then very quickly escalated. And I think that’s the rub. Where is the line?
“When you put all of those parts together, it’s never as black and white, but it’s evident there’s something very, very wrong here.”
“You’re always looking over your shoulder. You have to remember I didn’t know what my stalker looked like.”
Despite the toll it had on Klass, she said it was something that she had to bring forward and speak about publicly.
She said: “I work in entertainment, and if this is what I’m on the receiving end of, who knows what other people are experiencing. So it didn’t feel like it was something I could turn my back on.
“I hope he (Windsor) gets the help he needs. The judge himself says he will either face a prison sentence or a hospital one. There is no option here for any kind of emancipation.”
Windsor, of Mary Road, Stechford, Birmingham, denied stalking both Klass and Breathwick by sending items to Classic FM’s central London studios between March 2020 and August 2024.
Jurors at Birmingham Crown Court reached their unanimous guilty verdicts after deliberating for four hours and eight minutes over two days, with his sentencing due to take place next month.
The musician and broadcaster rose to fame with the pop group Hear’Say before establishing a successful career as a classical musician, presenter and entrepreneur.
She is also known for her campaigning work, notably for pushing legal reforms to improve support for people following multiple pregnancy losses. Klass was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) and received her medal from Charles at Windsor Castle for her work in raising awareness.
