Denise Welch has revealed she feared for her life after a stalker set fire to her £1million home during a six month reign of terror.
Toraq Wyngard, 64, was jailed for seven years and seven months on April 7, with the court hearing how Denise woke to her husband Lincoln Townley's "piercing scream" after a member of public alerted to the blaze in 2020.
Recalling the "utterly terrifying" ordeal, Denise told of the moment she saw "huge sprawling flames outside the house" in September 2020, with Toraq arrested nearby carrying a kitchen knife in his rucksack.
Denise told The Sun: "I remember that we’d been to the pub that night for dinner, and I’d gone to bed early, at about 10pm, leaving Lincoln with his son, Lewis, and my brother-in-law Duncan, downstairs watching a boys’ film, volume turned up full blast as boys tend to do.
"Suddenly, I heard Lincoln screaming. I ran downstairs in my pyjamas and saw huge sprawling flames outside the house, a lady had seen the fire outside as she was driving past and knocked on the front door to alert us.
Denise said she "doesn't know if I would be here today" without her neighbours warning and watched in horror as Lincoln sprung into action and moved her car out of the drive.
“Within seconds of him moving it, flames started spreading rapidly, they would have caught my car and the whole thing would have gone up and exploded." she recalled.
Denise said how she watched "everything melt" as the blaze spread to her garage, which was attached to their house, causing £4,285 worth of damage.
Toraq was charged with possession of a knife, criminal damage, and arson, with Denise saying she has been "changed forever" by the ordeal.
Officers also found a number of cameras, both normal and covert, and binoculars during a search of his home address.
The television personality said she stopped sleeping, had nightmares and shelled out £2,000 on security to feel safe in her own home.
Denise said she was petrified her stalker "might be outside, ready to attack" after he was found with a knife, with Lincoln walking her to her car for her 5am Hollyoaks starts.
On February 10 2021, while Wyngard was released under investigation, Denise and her husband discovered the words “Witch” and “Pimp” along with an upside-down cross had been scrawled on their front gate in blue marker pen, the court was told.
CCTV showed Wyngard writing the graffiti and he was captured on CCTV at a nearby shop buying the pen.
Denise then told the court: “This whole experience terrified me and continues to do so.”
"We thought he was trying to kill us, It was just terrifying. It doesn’t bear thinking about.”
