Katie Piper faces new agony as the man behind her acid attack makes a bid for freedom from prison. Daniel Lynch, a former boyfriend of the presenter, has been granted a parole meeting in just a few weeks to discuss a possible release from jail.
He ordered the devastating acid attack on Loose Women star Katie, which left her with severe burns and needing 400 operations, and was jailed for life with a minimum of 16 years in 2009. Lynch will now appear before the Parole Board on June 3 and 4, a spokesman for the body confirmed. The news will devastate mum-of-two Katie, 41, who previously said she’d feared the release of her two attackers.
Stefan Sylvestre, the man who Lynch instructed to throw the acid, is still wanted by police two years after going missing. He breached his licence conditions when he was released on parole and is now thought to be living abroad.
Speaking in 2023, Katie said Lynch’s release was on her mind. “The people that attacked me will be released,” she said. “Are they going to kill me? I’m not sure.”
Lynch had been allocated a private two-day parole hearing in July last year, but the case was adjourned on the eve of the appeal and a new date has only just been set due to complex issues involving the case. If the panel rejects this move, he is asking to be sent to an open prison – a precursor to eventual release. The three-person parole board can also reject the appeal, which will mean Lynch will stay in prison for a further two-years until he is eligible for another hearing.
After Katie ended their relationship, Lynch ordered the vile act to take place. She was walking down a street in Golders Green, north London, when Sylvestre threw sulphuric acid in her face.
Lynch was jailed for life with a minimum term of 16 years in May 2009 at London’s Wood Green crown court for for telling an accomplice to throw acid on her and for rape.
Sylvestre got life with a minimum of just six years after admitting GBH. He was released in 2018 but went on the run in 2022.
Katie was just 24 when the harrowing attack happened in March 2008. She needed 400 operations after being left with severe burns. The attack cost Katie the sight in one eye. Earlier this year, she decided to get an artificial one.
Following the trial, Piper waived her right to anonymity as a rape victim, and her recovery featured in a Channel 4 documentary. Her experience led her to become a spokeswoman for other burns victims and she established the Katie Piper Foundation a year after her attack. In 2021, she was made an OBE for her services to charity and victims of burns and other disfigurement injuries.
Katie was stunned to learn Sylvestre was granted parole nine years into a life sentence for carrying out the horrific acid attack on her. When she heard he had won a bid to be freed, Katie spoke of how getting a place on Strictly Come Dancing would give her another focus. She said: “Whilst there is never a good time to hear this, I have this new journey to concentrate on.”
Follow Mirror Celebs on Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.
