Stefan Sylvestre threw acid in the face of Katie Piper. He could be freed next month if a parole board decides he is no longer a danger

Katie Piper posted a cryptic message on social media asking for 'protection' as it emerged the thug who left her scarred for life after throwing acid in her face could be freed next month.

Stefan Sylvestre was jailed indefinitely in 2009 for hurling sulphuric acid in Katie's face on the orders of her obsessed ex-boyfriend.

The attack - which was caught in disturbing CCTV footage - left her blind in one eye and she has had to endure years of surgery, with more than 40 operations.

Now, MailOnline understands Sylvestre's legal team has applied for a parole hearing aimed to convince the board he is no longer a danger.

The hearing is set for April.

A Parole Board spokesman confirmed to MailOnline his case has been referred to them for review.

Hours after the news emerged Katie posted a message on Instagram, which said: 'God protect me from ANYTHING that wasn't sent by you.'

Sylvestre had a bid for freedom denied in December 2015. He was 20 when a judge jailed him for life in 2009.

Katie's ex-boyfriend, Daniel Lynch, ordered the attack and is serving life in prison.

In her autobiography, Katie, now 33, wrote of the moment she heard that he was seeking parole for the first time.

Katie, pictured left leaving BBC studios today and right in 2009 following the attack, was left blind in one eye. Sylvestre was jailed indefinitely but has now served his minimum sentence

Sylvestre attacked Katie (left, before the attack) on the orders of her ex-boyfriend Daniel Lynch (right). Lynch was jailed for life

She wrote: 'The two of them had taken so much from me, and now this man's punishment might soon be over.

'I thought, "I'm the one with the life sentence. Not him. He can change his identity, change his name, get a new job, a partner, move on, but I can't. I can't pretend it didn't happen because it's all over my face".'

Katie is now a mother-of-two and married to Richard Jams Sutton. She gave birth to Belle Elizabeth in March 2014 and announced the birth of a second daughter in December.

In her autobiography, Katie also wrote about how she fears Sylvestre will come after her again.

In the autobiography, Beautiful Ever After, she wrote how she told her father: 'I wish I'd been burned in a house fire or a car accident.

'At least a fire wouldn't come after me again, at least a fire wouldn't have a score to settle.'

Katie was just 24 when her ex-boyfriend Daniel Lynch organised for a man to throw industrial-strength sulphuric acid in her face.

Katie is now a mother-of-two and married to Richard Jams Sutton. She gave birth to Belle Elizabeth in March 2014 and announced the birth of a second daughter in December

Earlier today Katie shared this adorable picture of her cradling her daughter. She captioned it: 'Had the best day spending time with both of my girls'

Katie, pictured here with her husband Richard Jams Sutton and daughter Belle Elizabeth, has previously written about her fears her attacker would strike again if he was freed

Katie's recovery has taken place in the public eye and she is now a successful TV presenter. She has undergone more than 40 surgeries

Stricter sentencing guidelines brought in to fight the acid attack menace Anyone who carries out an acid attack faces life in prison after MPs introduced tougher sentences. And acid is to be defined as a 'highly dangerous weapon' for the first time. Anyone found carrying acid in public for the second time will be given a minimum six-month jail term while under-18s will be handed a four-month detention and training order. The guidelines will come into force in June. Assaults using acid have more than doubled in England since 2012 - up from 183 five years ago to 504 in the year to March 2017. The majority have been in east London. There were more than 1,800 reports of acid used in murders, robberies and rapes since 2010. Last year acid was used in 454 crimes, up from 261 the previous year, with almost a third of the attacks carried out in the borough of Newham in east London, the figures show. Police have so far been powerless to tackle the acid attack menace. Attackers often conceal them in innocuous looking soft drinks bottles and a pilot using litmus paper to test substances proved unsuccessful. Major retailers including Tesco, Waitrose and the Co-Op have signed up to a voluntary ban on acid sales to under-18s. The new Sentencing Council guidelines also target knives and other bladed weapons. Advertisement

Lynch was jailed for life with a minimum term of 16 years.

Former beauty queen Katie is now a regular on programmes such as This Morning and Loose Women.

She also presented Channel 4 shows Bodyshockers and Never Seen a Doctor.

MPs have introduced stricter sentencing guidelines for acid attacks and anyone who carries out 'life-changing' attacks - even if they miss their target or fail to inflict serious harm on their victim - faces life sentences.

It is likely Sylvestre would have faced a longer jail term under the new guidelines.

Last year the ex-boyfriend of Towie star Ferne McCann was jailed for 20 years after he squirted acid across a packed nightclub dancefloor.

Arthur Collins, 25, hurled the corrosive liquid across the club in east London during a tit-for-tat gang war and later branded the crime 'a silly little mistake'.

Acid is to be defined as a 'highly dangerous weapon' for the first time in a move that will give judges the power to hand out tougher sentences.

Anyone found carrying acid in public for the second time will be given a minimum six-month jail term while under-18s will be handed a four-month detention and training order.

The guidelines will come into force in June.

Assaults using acid have more than doubled in England since 2012 - up from 183 five years ago to 504 in the year to March 2017. The majority have been in east London.

There were more than 1,800 reports of acid used in murders, robberies and rapes since 2010.

Last year acid was used in 454 crimes, up from 261 the previous year, with almost a third of the attacks carried out in the borough of Newham in east London, the figures show.