Christine tells of ‘sinister and dark stalker tweets’
Pregnant TV star relives terror over threats of ‘crucifixion’
CHRISTINE Lampard yesterday told a court of her terror after receiving ‘sinister and dark’ tweets allegedly sent from her stalker.
The pregnant TV host gave evidence from behind a red curtain to prevent her from seeing confessed stalker Christof King.
The Loose Women presenter, 39, said she had checked King’s Twitter account following the ‘exceptionally disturbing’ messages and ‘memorised his face’ from his profile picture
King, also 39, allegedly posted between ten and 15 tweets, sent letters to Mrs Lampard and turned up at the £11million London home she shares with Derby County manager Frank, Isleworth Crown Court heard.
The actor, who has appeared in student films and live cinema shows, pleaded guilty to stalking last week but denied sending the tweets. Mrs Lampard entered the witness box behind the curtain to outline the full extent of her ordeal.
King is accused of sending tweets including ‘I can hear the scratch of nails as I sharpen them ahead of your crucifixion’ and ‘I can see the inscription on your tombstone’.
The court was told the messages began as ‘incoherent waffle’, but soon became ‘sinister’ which made her ‘sit up and pay attention.’ After receiving the posts she blocked him on Twitter and reported his account.
Mrs Lampard, who once hid behind a sofa when King turned up at her home, said she made a mental note of his Twitter picture and shared it with her husband, 39. ‘Thankfully I don’t get threatening messages and that’s why these stood out,’ she said.
‘The tweets were so disturbing, to the extent that I showed it to my husband as well and shared my concerns. I wanted to make sure I memorised his face.
‘I felt very uneasy with the letters. Incredibly odd.’
Mrs Lampard – who is expecting her first child – said her biggest concern was that she worked on live TV, so it could be figured out when she left her workplace.
The court heard that King described her as ‘the most stunningly beautiful person I have ever seen’ and said he was ‘a bit of a control freak.’ The TV star told the court she noticed large numbers of tweets from King in late 2015.
Nicholas Dunham, prosecuting, said King, from Brent, North West London, had sent tweets with content ranging from ‘dark to loving to incoherent’. King had also said he wanted ‘career advice’ from Mrs Lampard and applied for work experience on her former programme – BBC’s The One Show – in the hope of meeting her.
The tweets made the Lampards feel ‘very vulnerable and extremely worried’, said the prosecutor.
He described King’s behaviour as ‘exceptionally disturbing’, adding the stalker claimed he did not know the tweeting campaign was harassment. On one occasion when King had visited the family home ex-England captain Mr Lampard, went out to speak to him. After King left, Mr Lampard ‘felt nervous and anxious’ and was concerned about his wife and his daughters aged ten and 12. King, of West Hampstead, North London, told police he did not stop contacting her as no one told him to go away.
When she did not to reply to his letters he thought he would ‘keep being pushy – to me that means to keep pushing until I get a response.’
King, who faces a maximum five years in jail, told the court he did not send the tweets and was unable to explain the Twitter account.
The proceedings are a ‘Newton Hearing’ – used when the defendant admits the offence but disputes evidence. The case, being heard solely by a judge, continues.