Court hears that he told her she needed kidnapper insurance.
Over several years, a British man stalked an American influencer and threatened to kidnap her, an English court heard last week. Robert Keating sent social media personality Alexandra Saper messages stating that she needed to get kidnapper insurance, that he would tie her up, and that she would fit in his luggage. The influencer, who lives in Bali, was harassed by him for months before he flew to the island from the U.K.
Over the course of a year, Keating sent videos and texts to Saper, a former lawyer who now earns her living on Instagram. Calling her his queen, he warned her that he was practicing his disguises and that “I will see you when you agree to meet me, or I have a suitcase for you to fit in.” He expressed that he wanted to 50 Shades of Grey her, referring to the book and the film adaptation.
Saper, a travel influencer known as The Wayfaress, has 100,000 followers on the social media platform. The 33-year-old woman reported him to the local police when he flew to Bali on a one-way ticket and began showing up at places she frequented. She said that the police used her as “bait” and forced her to meet him. Saper escaped to Laos to distance herself from him.
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Years of Ordeal
Keating is a traffic worker in Horsham, West Sussex, England. The 39-year-old man was living in his sister’s garage during the time he was allegedly harassing and stalking Saper. He started following Saper in 2022, and according to her, sent her a creepy message. She replied to him, asking why he would follow her if he didn’t like her content, and blocked him. However, he found her business email and began an onslaught of emails, videos, and texts. His emails grew increasingly sexual. In August, he mentioned that he would breathe on her and touch her intimately, and in September 2022, he described having sex with her and threatened to abduct her. Saper told the court, “He sent me a photo of a body in a suitcase and said he was going to kidnap me.”
The court viewed videos that he had filmed of himself and sent to her. In a video from December 2022, he said, “You’re going to have to reply to me eventually—there’s talk about coming to Bali to get you.” The following month, he sent a video stating that he was looking for “intelligent attractive females.” In January 2023, he also said, “I’m out here practicing my disguises ready for your imminent kidnap. I can come and shove you in my suitcase and kidnap your a**.”
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In January 2023, he traveled to Bali and sent her 15 emails a day about where he was and what he was doing. It’s also alleged that he showed up at cafes near her house and places she had visited with her friends. She reported him to the police in Bali, but they wanted to use her as bait, she said, so she fled because she never thought he would travel all the way. She then shared the ordeal with her followers and also informed the authorities in the U.K. and the U.S.
After the case garnered attention, the media contacted Keating on Instagram to ask about the situation. He told The New York Post in February 2023 that Saper had invited him to Bali and then ghosted him. However, according to media reports, Keating was having one-way conversations and sent her hundreds of emails. Saper denied ever engaging with him. In November 2024, he told The Straits Times that the videos were a prank. “How on earth can you take that seriously? I have a playful nature. Silliness is a part of who I am.”
Keating flew back to the U.K. in March 2023 and was arrested with rope in his luggage. He continued to message and allegedly stalk Saper between September and November 2024. In October 2024, he posted a photo of a ticket from London Heathrow to Bali with the caption “Round Two” and was arrested again in Horsham.
The court case is still ongoing. Keating has pleaded not guilty to the charges of stalking.
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