After being stalked to her home in Bali and receiving threats of abduction, Alexandra Saper is not holding back about her disappointment with how British police handled her situation.
Saper revealed that her journey to attain justice felt more like navigating a maze of “bureaucratic red tape”. This followed her report of Rob Keating, 39, who not only packed black rope for his trip but also booked a one-way flight to the picturesque island.
Before his alarming trip, Keating bombarded Saper with incessant messages detailing his disturbing sexual fantasies, where he claimed he would enact scenes from “Fifty Shades of Grey” involving her and mentioned wanting to abduct her.
A former lawyer, Saper stated that after alerting the police about Keating, she felt her voice was dismissed, with one officer even suggesting she should just “get off” social media.
In her impact statement delivered recently, Ms. Saper, now in her thirties, described how Keating was allowed to roam freely, forcing her to constantly hide, run away, and repeatedly check in with law enforcement.
Keating was eventually found guilty of stalking after a six-day trial at Portsmouth Crown Court in May. A sentencing date has been set for October 9.
Speaking from the witness stand, Saper, who had flown back to the UK to testify during Keating’s sentencing, could not hide her disdain for how the case unfolded.
“For months, I reached out for help from the UK and US embassies, numerous police officers across three nations, local politicians, and members of the media,” she shared with Judge Michael Bowes KC. “All I wanted was to regain a sense of normalcy, yet he was still wandering in my area, looking for me.”
Consistent Harassment via Digital Channels
Keating, residing temporarily in his sister’s garage in Havant, began contacting Ms. Saper on Instagram in July 2022. He penned a deeply unsettling message to which Saper retorted, asking, “Why are you following me if you don’t enjoy what I post?”
After he sent her excerpts from the erotic novel, Saper chose to block him. However, that only led Keating to flood her with videos and emails, using additional profiles to keep up with her feed.
In trial, jurors witnessed over an hour of horrific clips where Keating suggested she get “kidnap insurance” and taunted her about “spanking”. In February 2023, he set off to Bali with a photoshopped image of his boarding plane captioned “let the games begin”.
He made his presence felt in bars and eateries just steps from her dwelling, while messaging her ominously with phrases like “you’ll never escape me”. Terrified, Saper fled to Laos to attempt to distance herself from him.
Feeling Abandoned and Forgotten
Upon Keating’s return to the UK in March 2023, police apprehended him after discovering black rope and a tie in his luggage.
He persisted in pursuing Saper between September and November 2024, living then in Horsham, West Sussex. Saper lamented, “I watched as my case slipped away from view; my emails went unanswered, and no one seemed to care about the investigation’s direction—victims often find it tragically challenging to get assistance.”
“It felt as if my case was assigned to a black hole – my pleas to the police remained ignored as he continued his harassment of me, instilling fear every minute I thought of encountering him again,” she added.
Keating was eventually charged with stalking after flying back to Bali, taunting her with photos and messages labeled “Round 2”.
In a statement following the recent court proceedings, Saper noted experiencing “victim blaming” from police, claiming, “They advised me to simply stay off Instagram. That’s not a solution!”
Responding to these claims, Det Insp Katt Green from Hampshire Constabulary stated, “We treat reports like these with utmost seriousness, but it’s worth noting that coordination with different authorities and supporting a victim overseas posed challenges. Moreover, during 2024, many involved were outside the UK, stalling our inquiries. However, charges were finally brought in November 2024, leading to these court actions.”
Sussex Police have been contacted for a statement on the matter.
