Presenter Laura Woods left in ‘actual worry’ by two-year stalking ordeal
An obsessed feminine soccer fan has been jailed after leaving sports activities presenter Laura Woods residing in ‘actual worry’ throughout a two-year marketing campaign of harassment.
Harneet Kaur, 25, branded Ms Woods a prostitute in vile messages, focused her with derogatory feedback on-line and despatched a string of undesirable meals deliveries to her residence.
Kaur, a Liverpool soccer fan who glided by the title ‘Krazy Harns’ on-line, additionally threatened to kidnap and kill Ms Woods’ canine and organized for a Bible and a sexual well being testing equipment to be despatched to her home. The sick marketing campaign, which started in June 2021 and lasted till September 2023, had an ‘huge and devastating’ impact, in keeping with Ms Woods’ sufferer influence assertion.
The 36-year-old is a presenter for TNT Sports, previously BT Sports, and travels everywhere in the nation for matches and interviews.
Laura Woods, 36, is a presenter for TNT Sports, previously BT Sports, and travels everywhere in the nation for matches and interviews
Harneet Kaur, 25, (pictured) branded Ms Woods a prostitute in vile messages, focused her with derogatory feedback on-line and despatched a string of undesirable meals deliveries to her residence
Prosecutors mentioned Kaur’s actions had left Ms Woods with a ‘actual worry’ that the defendant would get near her whereas she was working. She suffers from nervousness and has been pressured to extend safety at residence and whereas at work.
Kaur, who has autism, is already banned from Liverpool’s Anfield stadium for ticket touting. Her barrister claimed her autism, which led to ‘obsession and compulsion’, was behind her offending.
But choose Talog Davies, who jailed her for 14 months on Friday, mentioned she would have recognized the influence she was having on Ms Woods. Antonie Muller, prosecuting at Wolverhampton Crown Court, mentioned Kaur’s marketing campaign began in June 2021, when she used Just Eat to rearrange a supply of Krispy Kreme doughnuts to Ms Woods’ residence in London.
He mentioned Ms Woods was initially ‘pleasantly stunned and thought it was a mistake or someone being good’, so posted an image on her Twitter account saying they’d ‘made her night’.
Laura Woods (pictured) forward of the Premier League match on the City Ground, Nottingham
TNT Sports presenter Laura Woods previous to the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United at Molineux on February 1, 2024
But he added: ‘She didn’t realise this was to be the beginning of a marketing campaign towards her.’ Ms Woods went on to obtain a Just Eat order from Starbucks in addition to a chocolate lollipop with a message saying ‘out of your secret admirer and I’m not loopy’.
The contact then ‘all turned a lot darker’, Mr Muller mentioned. Among a string of vile messages was one saying Ms Woods was a ‘former prostitute who slept herself right into a job’.
In July that yr, Kaur’s iPad confirmed she had visited the London highway the place Ms Woods lived. Other messages posted on-line from an account linked to Kaur referred to as Ms Woods a ‘vile, stuck-up individual’. Although Kaur was arrested on April 8, 2022 and her iPad and telephone seized, she continued to go away derogatory feedback on Ms Woods’ Wikipedia web page and despatched her a voice observe on Instagram.
Kaur additionally despatched messages saying Ms Woods was ‘Tory’ and wasn’t welcome in Liverpool forward of a match she was because of attend. Kaur was arrested once more in August 2022 and one other iPhone was seized by police, however ‘it did not cease her’, Mr Muller mentioned.
Prosecutors mentioned Kaur’s actions had left Ms Woods (pictured) with a ‘actual worry’ that the defendant would get near her whereas she was working
In October she posted a message saying ‘wtf is that coke head doing at Anfield’ and posted an image of Ms Woods’ face on the physique of an ‘chubby man’.
Prosecutors sought to have Kaur banned from each soccer floor within the nation, in addition to all of Newcastle – the place Ms Woods’ boyfriend Adam Collard lives – and swathes of London. But the choose mentioned it was too draconian. Instead, he imposed a restraining order, banning her from contacting Ms Woods and 14 different folks, and from going inside 500m of the presenter’s residence.
Balbir Singh, in mitigation, mentioned: ‘This defendant has by no means met Laura Woods, she has by no means spoken to her, she has by no means approached her – that is why this case may be very completely different to many others that come earlier than the courts.’
He mentioned Kaur had a ‘extreme diploma of autism which debilitated all elements of her life’ and he or she wasn’t in a position to perceive the influence on Ms Woods.
Kaur, who lives together with her accountant mother and father in Walsall, admitted stalking at an earlier listening to. Ms Woods declined to remark.
Inside the meteoric rise of award-winning sports activities presenter Laura Woods
By Natasha Anderson
Laura Woods has grew to become a family title on this planet of sport, presenting on among the largest programmes within the UK.
Woods paved her method within the trade by working as a runner at Sky Sports after graduating from college. She finally labored her method as much as editorial assistant, assistant producer, affiliate and producer.
The 36-year-old noticed her fame ranges skyrocket final yr after she was made the face of TNT Sports following its re-branding, main the channel’s soccer protection in each the Premier League and Champions League.
She has additionally been working with ITV to steer their soccer protection, together with the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and Australia final yr.
Woods has additionally lined the NFL and boxing in her profession, having labored for the likes of DAZN.
Laura Woods, pictured in November 2023, has grew to become a family title on this planet of sport, presenting on among the largest programmes within the UK
Woods has grow to be the face of the channel’s Premier League and Champions League protection
Woods was awarded Presenter of the Year by Broadcast Sport after being recognised for her work protecting girls’s worldwide matches in November final yr.
She beat the likes of colleagues Mark Pougatch, who’s the face of males’s worldwide video games on ITV in each soccer and rugby, and Ed Chamberlain, the lead presenter of ITV’s racing protection, to the award.
She was additionally recognised for her function at ITV protecting each FIFA males’s and girls’s World Cup finals and the FA Cup.
She mentioned on the time: ‘For a presenter to win an award like this, they want a protected and inspiring setting to flourish in and that for me has been ITV.
‘So I’d prefer to thank the wonderful manufacturing group now we have for making day by day a lot enjoyable and for placing their hearts and souls into their work behind the scenes.
‘I’m so grateful to be part of this household. This award means the world to me.’
Woods gained Sports Broadcaster of the Year by Broadcast Sport late final yr, her newest award
As her reputation has risen, the ex-SpeakSport host has seen her earnings go along with it following her departure from the radio present in June.
Woods was selecting up a pay packet of £250,000-a-year to work on SpeakSport, however figures present that her belongings have now reached a worth of over £1million.
Reports final month confirmed that Woods, by way of her firm The Pig and I Limited, elevated her wealth from £400,000 to seven figures from December 2021 to December 2022, months earlier than she made the transfer to TNT.
The 36-year-old is alleged to have acquired an enormous pay rise after signing with the previous BT Sport, receiving plaudits for her work with the broadcaster.
