Katie Piper’s acid attacker could be freed from prison (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
The man behind the acid attack on TV presenter Katie Piper is up for parole.
Daniel Lynch, a martial arts expert who is a former boyfriend of Piper, was convicted five years ago of arranging for Stefan Sylvestre to throw the corrosive liquid at the former model in March 2008.
Piper was left blind in one eye as a result of the shocking attack and suffered severe facial disfigurement.
Lynch was jailed for life with a minimum term of 16 years in May 2009 at London’s Wood Green Crown Court for the rape of Piper and for telling Sylvestre to throw acid on her.
Sylvestre was given a life sentence, with a minimum term of six years, in 2009 and released on licence in 2018.
In 2022, he was recalled to prison for breaching his licence conditions, with police issuing an arrest warrant after it was thought he had left the UK.
The model was attacked by the corrosive liquid in March 2008 (Picture: ITV)
She was left blind in one eye and with severe facial disfigurement (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
A spokeswoman for the Parole Board confirmed on Sunday (June 30) that there will be a private hearing for Lynch on July 23 and 24.
A parole hearing is granted when there is a ‘realistic prospect’ of release, or to consider a move to an open prison, in the case of fairness or because they need more information from the person convicted.
Victims can send in personal statements and the decision can be challenged.
Lynch, who had a previous conviction for pouring boiling water over a man, was said to have become obsessively jealous after briefly dating Piper before the steroid-fuelled attack.
He and Sylvestre were told by Judge Nicholas Browne QC they ‘planned and then executed an act of pure, calculated and deliberate evil’.
Following the trial, Piper, now 40, waived her right to anonymity as a rape victim, and her recovery was featured in a documentary.
Daniel Lynch, a martial arts expert who is a former boyfriend of Piper, was convicted of arranging for Stefan Sylvestre to throw the acid (Picture: PA Wire/Press Association Images)
Aired on Channel 4,Katie: My Beautiful Face gained more than 3.3million views.
She went on to found the Katie Piper Foundation to support burns victims.
Then, in 2022, Piper was awarded an OBE for charity and burns services in the New Year Honours.
Piper, who has undergone more than 250 operations over the past decade, hosts a podcast, Katie Piper’s Extraordinary People, and after rebuilding her career, has become a panellist on Loose Women and presents Katie Piper’s Breakfast Show, both on ITV.
She also took part in the hit BBC show Strictly Come Dancing in 2018.
Piper has been incredibly open and brave in speaking about the impact of her attack, raising awareness and campaigning tirelessly.
In her victim impact statement after it happened, Piper said: ‘When the acid was thrown at me, it felt like I was burning in hell.
Piper rebuilt her career around broadcasting and activism to raise awareness of acid attacks (Picture: Instagram)
She has said she feels ‘glad to be alive’ (Picture: Instagram)
‘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.’
Despite the distress caused, Piper has said repeatedly that she is ‘just so glad to be alive.’
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