Sunday People

ACID THREAT TO LOTTO WINNER Jane flees in fear of attack like T V Katie’s

Call Midwife actor’s fury as confused dad flees hospital

- By Geraldine McKelvie

A CALL the Midwife actor has blasted the NHS after his braindamag­ed dad was allowed to wander out of hospital three times.

Chris Bell, who played a policeman in the BBC drama, revealed cops used a helicopter to search for his vulnerable and confused dad Malcolm, 66.

Malcolm, supposed to have oneto-one, 24-hour care, was missing EUROMILLIO­NS winner Jane Park has fled her home in terror after a troll threatened an acid attack.

Police launched an inquiry when she was targeted on social networking site Snapchat with the threat that her face would be left looking like a “melted welly”.

The online thug chillingly reminded 21-yearold Jane of a horror assault in which TV presenter Katie Piper was disfigured by acid – and vowed to maim her in a copycat attack.

Katie, 33, was scarred for life and partially blinded when her ex Danny Lynch ordered accomplice Stefan Sylvestre to douse her in acid on a London street in 2008.

Pals now say Jane fears for her life and has been forced to leave her native Scotland.

A source close to her said: “Jane has had a really traumatic time and is fearful what will happen next. It clearly scared her. They started talking to her about acid attacks.

“The messages seem to be real. They started comparing her to Katie Piper. At this point the fear really kicked in. Jane tried to put on a brave face and carry on as normal but she struggled.” The threats came days

after Jane was the for three hours and eventually found in a minicab when the driver noticed something was wrong.

It is the third time Malcolm, brain-damaged during an epileptic seizure, has slipped past ward staff at Queen Elizabeth hospital in Woolwich, South East London.

Once an off-duty nurse spotted him outside hospital grounds.

Chris said he felt let down by victim of a callous blackmail plot. Cruel hackers took explicit images from her phone and demanded thousands of pounds to keep the images offline.

Jane – who became the youngest ever Euromillio­ns winner when she scooped £1million with her first ticket at the age of 17 – refused to give in to their demands.

But when she tried to ignore the bully, the messages became more sinister.

Our source explained: “It started when her phone was hacked. The hacker obtained some very personal images.

“They tried to blackmail her by contacting her on Twitter but she refused to part with the £500 per image that they were demanding.

“At first they weren’t threatenin­g her with violence. But shortly after the hacking she – received messages on Snapchat from someone discussing personal details and her family, – including a crime committed against her mum.

“They were talking about how she was enjoying the benefits of fame and fortune and warned there would be risks that go with it.

“It quickly escalated into threats about how she would end up with a face like a melted welly in an acid attack similar to Katie Piper’s.”

Jane became a controvers­ial figure after her lottery win in 2013, using her winnings to buy 34FF boobs which she flashed on a night out.

She was banned from driving last month after being caught three times the alcohol limit.

And she sparked anger when she told the Sunday People she planned to sue Camelot because she was too young to win the jackpot and found it stressful.

Jane was so shaken by the threats that she feared telling the police in case the troll came after her. Her family persuaded her to lodge a complaint and she moved from Edinburgh to a hideaway in England.

The source added: “Jane was nervous that the police may not take it seriously but they’ve been really good and are doing all they can.

“People assume winning the lottery is all glitz and glamour – but it opens up a lot of problems stemming from jealousy and resentment. Jane is a normal 21-year-old girl. To be under this sort of pressure is a lot to deal with.”

Police Scotland said officers were investigat­ing a report of offensive communicat­ions. the NHS. He said a bus driver spotted Malcolm at 8pm but it was 9pm before the hospital called 999 and a further hour before he was notified by police.

He said: The past six weeks have just been the hardest of my life. It’s been mentally draining, and just such a disappoint­ment from the NHS.” He is now trying to move Malcolm to a hospital closer

Jealousy

to his home in Sevenoaks, Kent. A Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust spokesman said: “We are pleased the patient is now safely back in the hospital, and would like to offer our sincere apologies to his family.

“We are carrying out an investigat­ion into happened so we can prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.”

 ??  ?? CHILLING: Jane and, the online threat, below TOO YOUNG: People story, below JOY : Jane after her £1million win in 2013
CHILLING: Jane and, the online threat, below TOO YOUNG: People story, below JOY : Jane after her £1million win in 2013
 ??  ?? CLOSE: Malcolm and Chris
CLOSE: Malcolm and Chris

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom