Police have launched a worldwide search for Katie Piper's acid attacker after he fled the country.
Stefan Sylvestre received a life sentence in 2009 after throwing sulphuric acid at Katie's face on the orders of her former partner. He is thought to have left the UK on August 2.
He was released on licence in 2018 but has now been recalled to prison. The Probation Service said it was working with police to find him. Officers from the Met Specialist Crime Command are heading the investigation, alongside partner agencies thought to include the National Crime Agency, writes the Mirror.
Sylvestre, who left former model Katie Piper with horrific injuries, was in the process of being recalled to prison for breaching his conditions when he went on the run from police.
Last night the Met said: “Officers are appealing for information to find a man wanted for recall to prison. Police were notified on Friday, 23 September, that Stefan Sylvestre, 34, had been recalled to prison. His last known address was in north London.
“Enquiries undertaken so far indicate that Sylvestre left the UK on Tuesday, 2 August. Officers from the Met's Specialist Crime Command continue to work with partner agencies to locate and arrest him. Sylvestre should not be approached.
“Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call police on 999 quoting CAD6239/23Sep. To give information anonymously contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Sylvestre attacked Katie in Golders Green, North London, with acid in 2008, on the orders of her obsessive former boyfriend Daniel Lynch. Lynch was jailed for life in 2009 with a minimum of 16 years for sexually assaulting Ms Piper and telling Sylvestre to throw acid over her.
Sylvestre became eligible for parole in 2015 but his application was blocked after he was deemed unfit for release.
A further application in 2018 was successful and he was freed but ordered to stay away from Katie, 38. But in 2019 he was recalled to prison over an unrelated incident. Sylvestre got parole again in 2020 and was released after prosecution errors came to light. By then he had married mum-of-one Danielle Burke while in jail.
Katie, who was awarded an OBE for charity and burns services, was attacked on the orders of her obsessive former boyfriend Daniel Lynch. He was jailed for life with a minimum of 16 years and cannot be considered for release until 2025.
The attack left Katie needing 400 operations to treat her burns. In her victim impact statement, she said: “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.”
But she has since rebuilt her life and featured on numerous TV shows, including a documentary in 2009 about the impact of the attack, and Strictly in 2018.
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