Peter Windsor, 61, was found guilty of stalking Myleene Klass and Katie Breathwick after sending them an air pistol, handcuffs, a police uniform and disturbing letters
Obsessed Peter Windsor sent Myleene Klass ‘distrurbing’ letters
A stalker who sent Myleene Klass an air pistol, handcuffs, a police uniform and “disturbing” letters has been given an indefinite hospital order.
Peter Windsor, 61, was convicted in October last year of stalking the TV and radio presenter and her Classic FM colleague Katie Breathwick.
Birmingham Crown Court heard during his trial that Windsor, who has a long-standing history of mental illness, caused both women alarm and distress by sending unwanted items between March 2020 and August 2024.
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Klass told the jury she experienced “sheer terror” after receiving items from Windsor, including “a gun in a box with my name on it”.
Additional items sent to Klass and Ms Breathwick at their central London studios between March 2020 and August 2024 included “unhinged” correspondence, a police uniform and information about a DIY will-writing kit.
Windsor, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and argued he was not guilty by reason of insanity, denied stalking both Klass and Breathwick by posting items to Classic FM’s central London studios, but jurors delivered unanimous guilty verdicts on October 7 following four hours of deliberations.
Neither Klass nor Breathwick were present at Coventry Crown Court on Thursday when Windsor, of Mary Road, Stechford, Birmingham, received a hospital order and a restraining order prohibiting him from contacting them until further notice. The victims asked that written statements they had submitted to the court outlining the impact Windsor’s conduct had on them were not read aloud during the sentencing hearing.
Summarising them, prosecution counsel Timothy Sapwell said the offending had made Breathwick “hypervigilant and constantly anxious” and left her feeling she could be followed at any time.
He said: “Her concern over what he may go on to do caused sleeplessness, panic attacks and migraines.”
Klass said the defendant’s behaviour had had a “severe and pervasive” psychological effect on all aspects of her work and home life and led her to be suspicious of strangers and even those she knew.
The former Hear’Say singer, 47, said she feared Windsor “might seek revenge” and others may copy him and that it had distracted from the work she wishes to carry out in the community, particularly charity work.
During her testimony at the trial, Breathwick said she was left terrified by Windsor, who also sent her numerous handwritten notes, binoculars, perfume and running shoes.
She told the court she informed Klass of approximately 100 notes and gifts because she felt her colleague needed to be aware of circumstances that might put her at risk.
Windsor sent a note calling Klass a “naughty vixen” and mailed Breathwick a letter saying he wanted to go paddling in a lake with both women whilst drinking champagne, the court heard. It emerged during the trial that Windsor was arrested but not prosecuted after sending a letter in October 2020 to then-Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon which he said had been “signed in blood” and which “pledged his soul to Satan”.
He told jurors the letter was “just a joke” and that he had sent parcels and letters to the radio presenters as a “pretend weird” acting performance.
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Windsor sat in the dock wearing a grey jumper and a grey bodywarmer and rested his head on his hand during the proceedings.
Mr Sapwell said Windsor had demonstrated “sustained and persistent conduct” which was “extremely frightening because of its bizarre and unpredictable nature”.
In a report, consultant psychiatrist Dr Nicholas Kennedy said Windsor requires long-term treatment for schizophrenia and displays chronic delusions and a limited understanding of the impact his behaviour had on his victims.
In evidence to the court, Dr Kennedy said Windsor’s condition had not deteriorated whilst in prison and he could be transferred to a secure unit within 28 days.
Defence barrister Philip Brunt said the consensus of psychiatrists was that a hospital order was appropriate and that there was a “causal link” between the offending and his schizophrenia.
He said Windsor, who has been in custody for approximately 18 months, was previously of good character and had never made any attempts at physical contact with his victims. He stated: “Mr Windsor was never asked to desist from his behaviour, yes it was a prolonged period, but it was a prolonged period in which he was not asked to stop. If asked, the evidence would likely have been that he would have stopped.”
In delivering the sentence, Judge Tom Rochford said: “What you did caused both women considerable harm, fear and distress. Both were visibly and obviously distressed when they gave their evidence.”
He continued: “I accept you suffer from paranoid schizophrenia and have very serious issues with your mental health. They are at the centre of your offending.
“I have no doubt you have suffered significant mental illness for a number of years.”
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The judge noted that Windsor began contacting his victims in March 2020, with the last contact made a week before his arrest in September 2024.
He stated: “Had you not been arrested, I have no doubt you would have continued to harass and stalk these women.”
Judge Rochford considered that Windsor knew his actions were wrong and displayed an “escalating pattern of conduct”, being “calculated” in his actions.
He said: “Each message or item you sent was deliberate. You were on an upward or worsening trajectory.
“I consider it very possible you would have escalated to direct contact with the victims.”
The judge expressed his belief that it was Windsor’s schizophrenia that, to a “very large extent”, led him to commit offences.
He stated: “The most appropriate way of dealing with you is to make a hospital order.”
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