//This was not an autograph-hunter getting into a nightmare scenario. //
Having read the Mirror piece, I see that neither was this someone selling sexual favours for the price of a signature.
No, someone was so full of themselves that, instead of providing a signature as a gift (repeat, gift) to a loyal fan, he felt it was "worth" something in return for it and pushed for something he *knew* was illegal.
It mystifies me why she wasn't shocked, taken aback, using words like "no" or running to the police. Yes he's guilty but there is a shade of grey here and I still can't look at this as a binary situation. No mitigation though: it's the grooming which is the sickening part. Money and fame are clearly enablers in that regard and he used them. She would not have fallen for identical trickery if it was some nobody offering an identical signed shirt.
@AOG (OP)
No, I do not think the coverage is overblown. I wish I'd read the Mirror's version before this thread but theirs and DM's are opposite poles, in terms of who they choose to traduce. You need to read both to reach a balanced view.