Katie Piper acid attacker Stefan Sylvestre on run – latest updates as police hunt sicko hired by Daniel Lynch
- Acid attacker Stefan Sylvestre goes on the run
- What Katie Piper looked like before acid attack
A MANHUNT is underway for Katie Piper's acid attacker after he recently breached his licence and was recalled back to prison.
Stefan Sylvestre, from Shepherd's Bush, west , was given a life sentence in 2009 for the horrific attack on personality
He was told he must serve a minimum of six years before he would be eligible for parole and was released in 2018 when he was aged 30.
A Probation Service spokeswoman said on Sunday: "We are urgently working with the police to bring the offender back to prison where he'll face longer behind bars."
Piper suffered horrific injuries in the acid attack that left her permanently scarred.
Read our live blog below for the latest news & updates...
Katie Pipers recent Instagram posts related to mental health
Katie Piper's recent posts have been related to mental health, highlighting the importance of self-esteem.
Just before Sylvestre's disappearance Katie uploaded a post displaying the phrase "comparison is the thief to joy".
Katie said: 'I’ll find myself receiving a compliment or feeling proud, and thinking ‘well, it’s not as good as that thing or someone else’s achievements’ and feeling down about it."
Katie worried that her acid attack would prevent her from having kids
Katie previously revealed how she was worried that her acid attack would prevent her from having kids, as she had to take medication that can affect fertility.
Speaking to magazine after the birth of Penelope, she said: "There was a time when I’d resigned myself to never having a family of my own.
"With Penelope, we were trying for over a year and a half."
'Our family is now complete'
In October 2017, Katie announced that she was pregnant again.
At the time she told magazine: "Becoming a mum has enriched my life in ways I never imagined and I feel so thankful to be experiencing that again.
Katie then gave birth to the couple's second daughter, Penelope, in December 2017.
She announced the news with a touching picture of her baby's hand in her own posted onto her Instagram account.
Katie wrote: "We’ve been blessed with the safe arrival of a baby girl.
"Our family is now complete."
Police need kits to test for corrosives Home Office report says
In a report from the Home Office that looked into the motives of criminals who carry and use acid last year found that corrosive substances are used in attacks because they are easy to obtain and can be concealed from police.
The report also found that over half of the corrosive crimes analysed occurred in areas in the top 20% most deprived locations.
It was also found that police should be given test kits that can be used in stop and searches to detect the harmful substances.
The study said: "It was noted that often using stop and search powers in such cases was problematic, and also there were particular issues with being able to accurately identify when a liquid in a bottle was a corrosive, given it was often a clear liquid."
What should you NOT do in the event of an acid attack?
You may think milk could act as a soothing remedy, in the event of an acid burn, but experts advise it's a bad idea.
Milk is generally alkaline, though as it goes off it becomes more acidic.
When alkaline milk comes into contact with acid it will cause an exothermic reaction, which creates more heat and can do more damage.
Plus, milk could increase the risk of infection.
So, always, always stick to running water - and lots of it.
How do you treat acid burns?
The most important thing you can do in the event of an acid attack is to douse the victim in running water, rather than a wet cloth.
The water dilutes the acid, and so it's important to keep refreshing with new, clean water, as quickly as possible.
- Immediately rinse the affected area with fresh water or saline (saltwater) solution - always make sure this source is uncontaminated
- Keep washing the burned body part with cool water until the pain begins to subside. This can take around 45 minutes
- Take off any clothes/jewellery that have made contact with the acid
- As tempting as it is to add cream to give some relief, this could affect the treatment prescribed by doctors
- If possible, loosely wrap the burn area in sterilised gauze, which helps prevent the wound from contamination
- After hospital treatment, patients are advised to stick to a strict aftercare regime - which includes changing dressings on a regular basis
- In serious cases, doctors may prescribe physiotherapy for victims whose nervous system has been affected by the burn
- Others will be offered skin grafts to help reduce symptoms and cosmetic signs of the attack
- As acid assaults are traumatic, patients may also be advised to seek counselling
Katie Piper shared harrowing photo of acid attack injuries in 2019
To mark World Mental Health Day in 2019, the presenter shared the photo, thought to have been taken shortly after the assault.
Writing alongside it, Katie, 35, said: "I remember when I didn’t want to look at anyone. I remember when I didn’t want anyone to look at me.
"I remember when I was scared of people, scared of men. I remember when I was scared of the world.
"I remember when opening up to people and talking about my trauma and psychological damage just wasn’t possibly.
"Today on Mental Health Day my first meeting of the day is with my therapist. I still go, it still helps and I’m able to talk."
Katie Piper reveals the secrets to living a happy life
In an exclusive chat with The Sun last year, Katie told us how she keeps upbeat and deals with the not so good times too.
She said: "I never worry about things that haven’t yet happened because that is just a waste of energy. There’s enough problems in the world to not worry about things that haven’t yet arrived.
"I don’t like to spend a life wanting and wishing. I like to live in the present moment. I’m really grateful for my present moment."
She added: "As adults we sometimes forget how to play and be playful and have fun and that’s another thing we can learn from kids.
"Never think you can’t learn from somebody younger than you. Never think a child has less knowledge than you, they’re out there living in the modern world now and they're dealing with challenges on a daily basis."
Who is Katie Piper's husband Richard James Sutton?
Richard James Sutton is a carpenter and builder.
He started dating Katie Piper in 2013 after being set up by a mutual friend.
Katie moved in with Richard after living alonein London following the completion of her documentary Katie: My Beautiful Face.
Speaking about the early days of their relationship, Katie told "James was chatty, witty and looked me squarely in the eye.
"He never once mentioned my burns, and because he didn't, I didn't either.
"He didn't even stare at them, so I didn't feel self-conscious. He had me relaxed and buzzing with confidence."
What is Katie doing now?
In April 2017, the inspirational star launched her own Channel 4 show called Face to Face, featuring other acid attack survivors and people with skin conditions.
In spring 2018, she toured the country with her theatre show What's In My Head to share her inspirational story.
She has written many books including Beautiful, Beautiful Ever After, Confidence, Things Get Better and From Mother to Daughter.
She was awarded an OBE in the Queen's New Year's Honours list in recognition of her services to charity and burns survivors.
Katie now has her own Breakfast show on ITV, which began on Sunday, August 6, 2022.
What injuries did the acid attack cause?
Katie, 36, was left blind in one eye and suffered severe burns to most of her face after the attack.
She had numerous skin graft procedures and was forced to wear a plastic face mask for up to 23 hours a day.
What is the Katie Piper Foundation and how does it help burns victims?
Katie Piper established the charity in 2009 and aims to deliver a high standard of intensive burns rehabilitation and scar management to victims across the UK.
The organisation helps people with burns and traumatic scars through recovery and beyond.
Services offered by the foundation include residential burn and rehabilitation centre access, hair transplant surgery and hair replacement systems.
Who is Daniel Lynch?
Daniel Lynch, of Shepherd’s Bush, West London - is the ex-partner of TV star Katie Piper and arranged and paid for Stefan Sylvestre to throw sulphuric acid at the former model.
Lynch and Piper had begun their relationship in February, 2008 - after meeting on social media site Facebook.
However, just two weeks into their relationship Lynch became possessive and began to act inappropriately towards Katie.
Prior to the attack Lynch sexually assaulted and beat Piper in a west London hotel room.
Lynch apologised to Piper multiple times and persuaded her to go to an internet cafe to read an email he had sent to her.
Unbeknown to Katie, Sylvestre was waiting to attack her - he threw a cup of sulphuric acid in Katie's direction, all the while, Lynch remained on the phone as Katie screamed in pain.
How did Sylvestre get parole?
Sylvestre became eligible for parole in 2015 but his application was blocked after he was deemed unfit for release.
A later parole application in 2018 was successful and he was released from Highpoint jail, Suffolk, on Wednesday, October 10 - he was then driven 70 miles south by police to a bail hostel in London.
A source told The Sun: “Sylvestre’s licence conditions include an exclusion zone which bars him from an area around Katie’s address.
“Any attempt to go near the Strictly studios in Hertfordshire would almost certainly also see him returned straight to jail.
“But although Sylvestre is banned from contacting Katie in any way, the simple fact that he’s back in London will be of great concern to her.”
However, he was later jailed again in 2019 for a different offence.
Katie previously appeared on Strictly
Katie was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2018 and it was on that show she learned Sylvestre was to be released.
The presenter said: “This is a really difficult time for me. I am trying to come to terms with the decision and this is something I need to deal with.
“Over the past two weeks Strictly has already given me such a welcome and positive distraction from my past.
"Whilst there is never a good time to hear this news, I am glad I have this new journey to concentrate on.”
Katie has received an OBE for her campaign work
Over the years Katie has managed to rebuild her life and has been awarded an OBE for her campaigning work helping burns victims.
She has also made numerous TV appearances and featured in a 2009 documentary about the impact of the attack.
'It felt like I was burning in hell'
Katie said in her victim impact statement: “When the acid was thrown at me, it felt like I was burning in hell. It was an indescribable, unique, torturous pain.
“I have lost my future, my career, my spirit, my body, my looks, my dignity… the list goes on.
“All I am left with is an empty shell. A part of me has died that will never come back. This is worse than death.”
What did Katie Piper say when Sylvestre was released?
When Sylvestre was released in 2018, Katie was feeling very anxious.
At the time she tweeted saying that it was not welcome news and something she was finding difficult to navigate.
"This is a really difficult time for me. I am trying to come to terms with the decision and this is something I need to deal with," Piper said at the time.
What happened to Katie Piper?
A former model, Katie was left with extensive injuries after sulphuric acid was thrown in her face when she was 24 by Stefan Sylvestre.
The thug launched the attack on Katie in Golders Green, North London, in 2008 on the orders of her former boyfriend Daniel Lynch.
At the time of the attack Sylvestre was 19 and a year later he was sentenced to life with a minimum of six years behind bars.
Lynch was jailed for life with a minimum of 16 years and won’t be considered for release until 2025.
Sun investigation finds 50 acid attack crimes a week in England and Wales
ALMOST 50 acid attack crimes a week take place in England and Wales, a shocking Sun on Sunday probe found.
They included actual assaults plus the corrosive chemical's involvement in threats, blackmail, incidents in schools and even rape.
Our investigation uncovered more than 300 crimes linked to acid in a two-month span. And when estimates are added in for the forces that failed to respond to our Freedom of Information probe, including the biggest force, London's Met, the total reaches about 420.
West Midlands cops probed three offences of GBH involving acid.
In Devon and Cornwall, bleach was thrown in a woman's face in a domestic incident.
Police in Cambridgeshire dealt with two separate school incidents of acid threats.
Past victims include model Katie Piper, disfigured after thug Stefan Sylvestre threw sulphuric acid at her in 2008.
What happened to Katie's evil ex Daniel Lynch?
She was left fighting for her life after obsessive ex-boyfriend Daniel Lynch arranged for Sylvestre to throw the corrosive liquid in March 2008.
Lynch was jailed for life with a minimum of 16 years for sexually assaulting Piper and telling Sylvestre to throw acid over her.
The pair had dated briefly before steroid-fuelled martial arts fan Lynch, who had a previous conviction for pouring boiling water o
What sentence did Sylvestre receive?
He attacked Katie, 38, in Golders Green, North London, in 2008, on the orders of her obsessive former boyfriend Daniel Lynch.
Sylvestre, then 19, got a life term with a minimum six years. Lynch got 16 years.
Katie needed 400 operations for her burns.
Sylvestre on run after breaching licence
COPS are hunting TV presenter Katie Piper's acid attacker, who is on the run after being recalled to jail for licence condition breaches.
Stefan Sylvestre was paroled in 2020, more than 11 years after the sick assault, but faces extra jail time for going Awol while on licence.
A Probation Service spokesman said: "We are urgently working with the police to bring the offender back to prison."