A person has been jailed for seven years and 7 months after he carried out a ‘terrifying’ five-month stalking marketing campaign in opposition to Unfastened Lady star Denise Welch which included setting fireplace to her residence.
Toraq Wyngard, 53, was convicted final September of stalking inflicting critical alarm or misery to the actress between September 18, 2020, and February 11 final yr.
The previous Coronation Avenue actress gave proof over video-link from the US as Wyngard, 64, was sentenced at Chester Crown Courtroom on Thursday.
She mentioned: ‘It has modified my life. I’ve a beautiful life and this man has completely scarred it.’
Sentencing him at this time, Choose Michael Leeming mentioned his actions had impacted the couple and precipitated them ‘alarm and misery’.
The choose additionally imposed a restraining order, stopping Wyngard from coming into Wilmslow or approaching the couple or doing any analysis into their non-public lives.
Chester Crown Courtroom heard how Denise’s stalking hell started in September 2020 when Wyngard turned up on the £800,000 residence she shares with husband Lincoln Townley in Wilmslow, Cheshire.
He set fireplace to a skip on the driveway, with the blaze, which precipitated £4,285 of harm, spreading to the storage.
CCTV had caught Wyngard approaching the property and he was arrested by police close by that evening and located to be carrying a four-inch kitchen knife in his backpack.
He returned to Denise’s residence the next February and broken a backyard gate and daubed it in graffiti – writing in marker pen the phrases ‘witch’ and ‘pimp’ and an upside-down cross.
Toraq Wyngard (pictured), 53, may face a prolonged jail sentence after he was convicted final September of stalking inflicting critical alarm or misery to the actress between September 18, 2020, and February 11 final yr
Chester Crown Courtroom beforehand heard how Toraq Wyngard (proper) plagued Ms Welch (left), 63, by turning up on the £800,000 Cheshire residence she shares with husband Lincoln Towney and leaving undesirable messages
Gareth Bellis, prosecuting, instructed the court docket that the fireplace service had attended the property on the evening of the blaze after the couple had been alerted by a member of the general public ringing their doorbell.
The hearth – believed to have been began utilizing an accelerant – was quickly extinguished however there had been a threat of the fireplace spreading and ‘creating a considerable amount of poisonous smoke’ and inflicting ‘critical harm or demise’.
Wyngard, Mr Bellis instructed the court docket, had claimed the knife he was carrying was used to chop flowers whereas two cameras – additionally in present in his backpack – have been utilized in his press photographer function.
Throughout police interviews, Wyngard – who has a historical past of psychological sickness together with bi-polar dysfunction – denied being concerned and answered no remark to questions.
However he admitted a cost of stalking the ex-Hollyoaks actress and inflicting critical alarm or misery between September 18, 2020 and February 1, 2021 and a listening to in September.
He additionally admitted expenses of arson, possession of a bladed article, and legal injury.
However on the day he was initially resulting from be sentenced, in October, final yr, he indicated he meant altering his pleas – inflicting a delay within the case.
A choose was then compelled to apologise to Denise for attending court docket ‘unnecessarily’ as a result of the sentencing didn’t go forward.
The case has dragged on since then however a choose lastly rejected Wyngard’s software to vacate his pleas at a listening to ultimately month.
Denise and Lincoln appeared through videolink at court docket at this time to ship sufferer affect statements.
Denise, 63, is named an actress in addition to her function on the panel on ITV’s Unfastened Ladies
Denise Welch and her husband Lincoln attended Chester Crown Courtroom in October anticipating to see Wyngard jailed, however he tried to alter his plea
She mentioned Wyngard’s actions has left her ‘terrified’ and she or he would ‘always remember what occurred’ and not felt protected in her residence or strolling the close by store.
‘It is terrifying to suppose what may’ve occurred if he gained entry,’ she mentioned.
‘It terrifies me to suppose any individual may have been able to committing this act.
‘He may’ve precipitated critical harm to me or my household and simply walked away as if nothing had occurred.
‘It is modified my life. I’ve a beautiful life however this man has completely scarred it.’
Lincoln mentioned his household meant ‘every thing to him’ and never with the ability to defend them had left him ‘offended’.
He added: ‘I really feel offended that somebody I do not know has focused our residence and I do not really feel protected within the place the place I ought to really feel protected.’
The court docket heard the couple have since upgraded their safety at at price of £2,000 per 30 days.
Louise Bellis, defending, mentioned Wyngard, who had a earlier conviction in 2005 for capturing two individuals with a BB gun, had suffered from bi-polar points following the demise of his associate in 2004.
The TV persona has beforehand spoken of the heavy toll Wyngard’s harassment has had on her household.
‘This has been an extremely terrifying and worrying time for me and our household,’ mentioned Ms Welch.
‘We’re grateful to the fireplace service for his or her immediate motion saving our home and to the police for his or her wonderful vigilance and assist.
‘Particular thanks go to the Hurt Discount Unit assigned to us who’ve guided us by way of this horrible time each step of the way in which.’
