What did Toraq Wyngard do? Denise Welch stalking incident explored in wake of actress' recent tweet about moving houses

ITV's Loose Women panelist and actress Denise Welch recently revealed that she moved homes after being the victim of a stalker who set fire to a skip outside their home in September 2020.

Denise Welch shared this update via X as she tweeted to criticize a broadband provider for not canceling her service, citing that she no longer needed the service as she and her husband had moved to a new place.

As per the BBC, on September 19, 2020, just before 11 pm, Toraq Wyngard set fire to a skip in the driveway outside the family home that Denise Welch shared with her husband, Lincoln Townley, in Cheshire. The stalker, aged 64, was arrested and sentenced to seven years and seven months for stalking, arson, possession of a knife, and criminal damage.

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Denise Welch "permanently scarred" by stalker

Denise Welch and Lincoln Townley became the victim of a stalker (Image via Getty Images)

While stalking is common when it comes to celebrities, in some instances, as in the case of Denise Welch, things may take a more serious turn.

Previously, the Coronation Street actress recalled coming face to face with her stalker when he decided to start a fire just outside her family house. During the trial in April 2022, Denise Welch told the Chester Crown Court that the incident left her "permanently scarred."

"This whole experience terrified me and continues to do so. It has changed my life. I have a wonderful life and this man has permanently scarred it," she said.

According to the BBC, Denise Welch told the court that she was alerted about the fire after her husband let out a "piercing scream" when he went to answer the front door. A member of the public had rang the bell to warn the family about the fire.

The family ran outside to see that a skip in their driveway, made of wood and full of flammable material, had been set alight. Speaking of the terrifying incident in an April 2022 episode of Loose Women, Denise Welch recalled:

"There was lady at the door who I didn't know saying, 'I hope it's alright I knocked on your door'. I thought, 'My God, you've potentially saved our lives here'. Lincoln jumped into my car, drove it out and, at which point, the flames came through the side of the skip. They would have caught the car."

By the time the firefighters made their way to the house, the flames had spread to the garage and were melting her guttering. According to The Sun, the ordeal caused £4,285 worth of damages to their £800,000 home.

CCTV footage saw a man with a distinctive baseball cap casing the property before seemingly pouring accelerant into the skip and lighting it on fire. Toraq Wyngard was later arrested nearby and identified using the baseball cap. He also had a kitchen knife in his rucksack at the time of his arrest.

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Toraq Wyngard pleaded guilty to the stalking charges

As per the BBC, Toraq Wyngard pleaded guilty to stalking in September 202. However, he later changed his plea, citing that he had been "pressured" into admitting the offenses. His application to change the plea was rejected.

His lawyer, Louise Cowen, claimed that Wyngard was not guilty, alleging that he was suffering from a bipolar affective disorder and had been failing to take his medication, which led to his behavior.

Judge Michael Leeming sentenced Wyngard in April 2022, saying the suspect did not express a "single word of regret" for his actions.

"You have expressed not a single word of regret, not a single word of concern for your victims at all. Your only concern is for your own interests," he said in his sentencing.

Denise Welch admitted on Loose Women that the ordeal left her emotionally terrorized. She said that she and her husband had spent days apart for work, and she had never once been scared till the arson. It is unknown where Welch and her family currently reside.