Rav Wilding feared stalker murder

Rav Wilding has admitted that he feared for his life after being sent abusive messages by an obsessed fan.

Speaking at Warley Magistrates' Court, West Midlands, Wilding claimed that he was afraid he would be murdered like his Crimewatch predecessor Jill Dando.

Wilding, who appeared on last year's Strictly Come Dancing, revealed that 24-year-old Toneeta Beckford had told him she would "see him on Judgement Day" and warned that he would need to "plead for mercy".

She also told the TV star that she hoped he would break a leg while performing on Strictly.

The 32-year-old said: "Obviously in the nature of my work on Crimewatch my predecessor was murdered, so I have to take security very, very seriously.

"I had to be careful using public transport and the BBC had to increase security for me. I have never received any messages as highly abusive and very, very scary as these.

"The company that managed my website said they had received messages of an extreme nature, relating to religious hatred. They said: 'We will see you on Judgement Day and you will plead for mercy, I will see you in hellfire'."

Former Crimewatch host Dando was murdered by a gunman in April, 1999. Her killer has never been caught.

Beckford was found guilty of harassment and will be sentenced later this month. The court heard that she had been suffering from depression and a personal crisis following the death of her partner in a car crash in 2008.