Stalker who posted air gun and handcuffs to Myleene Klass given hospital order

A stalker who sent Myleene Klass an air pistol, handcuffs, a police uniform and “disturbing” letters has been handed an indefinite hospital order.

Peter Windsor, 61, was found guilty in October last year of stalking the TV and radio star and her Classic FM colleague Katie Breathwick.

A trial at Birmingham Crown Court heard Windsor, who has a decades-long history of mental illness, caused both women alarm and distress by posting unwanted items between March 2020 and August 2024.

Klass told jurors she felt “sheer terror” after being sent items by Windsor, including “a gun in a box with my name on it”.

Other items posted to Klass and Ms Breathwick at their central London studios between March 2020 and August 2024 included “unhinged” mail, a police uniform and details of a DIY will-writing kit.

Windsor, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and claimed he was not guilty by reason of insanity, denied stalking both Klass and Breathwick by sending items to Classic FM’s central London studios but jurors reached unanimous guilty verdicts on October 7 after four hours of deliberations.

Neither Klass nor Breathwick attended Coventry Crown Court on Thursday as Windsor, of Mary Road, Stechford, Birmingham, was given a hospital order and a restraining order preventing him from contacting them until further order.

The victims requested that written statements they had given to the court detailing the impact Windsor’s conduct had on them were not read out 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.

In her evidence during the trial, Breathwick said she was left terrified by Windsor, who also sent her numerous hand-written notes, binoculars, perfume and running shoes.

She told the court that she informed Klass of around 100 notes and gifts because she felt her colleague needed to be aware of a situation 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 while 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.

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 while 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 around 18 months, was previously of good character and had never made any attempts at physical contact with his victims.

He said: “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.”

Passing 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 added: “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.”

The judge said Windsor started contacting his victims in March 2020, with the last contact made a week before he was arrested in September 2024.

He said: “Had you not been arrested, I have no doubt you would have continued to harass and stalk these women.”

The judge said he considered that Windsor knew what he was doing was wrong and he had shown an “escalating pattern of conduct” and that he was “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 said he was satisfied it was his schizophrenia in a “very large measure” that had been what caused him to commit offences.

He said: “The most appropriate way of dealing with you is to make a hospital order.”