Sports presenter Laura Woods is left in ‘real fear’ by two-year stalking ordeal at the hands of an obsessed female fan

An obsessed female football fan has been jailed after leaving sports presenter Laura Woods in ‘real fear’ during a two-year campaign of harassment.

Harneet Kaur, 25, branded Ms Woods a prostitute in vile messages, insulted her with derogatory comments online and sent a series of unwanted food deliveries to her home.

Kaur, a Liverpool football fan who went by the name ‘Krazy Harns’ online, also threatened to kidnap and kill Mrs Woods’ dog and arranged for a Bible and sexual health testing kit to be sent to her home. The sick campaign, which started in June 2021 and lasted until September 2023, had a “huge and devastating” effect, according to Ms Woods’ victim impact statement.

The 36-year-old is a presenter for TNT Sports, formerly BT Sports, and travels around the country for matches and interviews.

Prosecutors said Kaur’s actions had left Ms Woods in “real fear” that the defendant would get close to her while she was at work. She suffers from anxiety and is forced to increase security at home and at work.

Kaur, who has autism, has already been banned from Liverpool’s Anfield stadium for selling tickets. Her lawyer claimed her autism, which led to “obsession and compulsion,” was behind her offending.

But Judge Talog Davies, who jailed her for 14 months on Friday, said she knew the impact she had on Ms Woods. Antonie Muller, prosecuting at Wolverhampton Crown Court, said Kaur’s campaign began in June 2021, when she used Just Eat to arrange the delivery of Krispy Kreme donuts to Ms Woods’ home in London.

He said Ms Woods was initially “pleasantly surprised and thought it was a mistake or someone was being nice”, so she posted a photo on her Twitter account saying they had “made her night”.

But he added: ‘She didn’t realize this would be the start of a campaign against her.’ Ms Woods then received a Just Eat order from Starbucks, as well as a chocolate lollipop with the message ‘from your secret admirer and I’m not crazy’.

The contact “then all became much darker,” Mr. Muller said. Among a series of despicable messages was one that said Ms Woods was a ‘former prostitute who had talked herself into a job’.

In July that year, Kaur’s iPad showed she had visited the London road where Mrs Woods lived. Other messages posted online from an account linked to Kaur called Ms Woods a “mean, conceited person”. Although Kaur was arrested on April 8, 2022, and her iPad and phone were seized, she continued to leave derogatory comments on Ms Woods’ Wikipedia page and sent her a voice message on Instagram.

Kaur also sent messages saying Ms Woods was ‘Tory’ and not welcome in Liverpool ahead of a match she was due to attend. Kaur was arrested again in August 2022 and another iPhone was seized by police, but “it didn’t stop her,” Mr Muller said.

In October she posted a message saying ‘wtf is that coke head doing at Anfield’ and posted a photo of Ms Woods’ face on the body of an ‘overweight man’.

Prosecutors sought to ban Kaur from every football ground in the country, as well as all of Newcastle – where Woods’ friend Adam Collard lives – and parts of London. But the judge thought it was too draconian. Instead, he imposed a restraining order banning her from contacting Ms Woods and 14 other people and from going within 500 meters of the presenter’s home.

Balbir Singh, mitigating, said: ‘This defendant never met Laura Woods, she never spoke to her, she never approached her – which is why this case is very different from many others that come before the court.’

He said Kaur had a ‘severe degree of autism which debilitated all aspects of her life’ and she could not understand the impact on Ms Woods.

Kaur, who lives with her accountant parents in Walsall, admitted stalking at an earlier hearing. Ms Woods declined to comment.

A look at the meteoric rise of award-winning sports presenter Laura Woods

By Natasha Anderson

Laura Woods has become a household name in the sporting world, presenting on some of the biggest programs in Britain.

Woods made her way into the industry by working as a runner for Sky Sports after graduating from university. She eventually worked her way up to editorial assistant, assistant producer, associate and producer.

The 36-year-old saw her fame skyrocket last year after becoming the face of TNT Sports following its re-brand, leading the channel’s football coverage in both the Premier League and Champions League.

She has also worked with ITV to lead their football coverage, including the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and Australia last year.

Woods has also covered the NFL and boxing in her career, having worked for DAZN and others.

Woods was named Presenter of the Year by Broadcast Sport after she was recognized for her work on international women’s competitions in November last year.

She beat colleagues such as Mark Pougatch, who is the face of ITV’s international men’s matches in both football and rugby, and Ed Chamberlain, the lead presenter of ITV’s racing coverage, with the award.

She was also recognized for her role on ITV at the FIFA men’s and women’s World Cup finals and the FA Cup.

She said at the time: ‘If a presenter wants to win an award like this they need a safe and encouraging environment to thrive in and for me that has been ITV.

‘So I’d like to thank the amazing production team we have for making every day so much fun and putting their heart and soul into their work behind the scenes.

‘I am so grateful to be part of this family. This award means the world to me.”

As her popularity has risen, the ex-TalkSport presenter has seen her earnings disappear following her departure from the radio show in June.

Woods received a pay package of £250,000 a year to work on TalkSport, but figures show her assets have now reached a value of more than £1million.

Reports last month revealed that Woods, through her company The Pig and I Limited, increased her fortune from £400,000 to seven figures from December 2021 to December 2022, months before making the move to TNT.

The 36-year-old is said to have received a huge pay rise after signing for the former BT Sport, receiving rave reviews for her work at the broadcaster.