Ex-BBC DJ Alex Belfield has been jailed for five-and-a-half years for stalking four colleagues including BBC Radio Northampton's Bernie Keith. "He said he could see their distress in court and feels deeply sorry for what he did.". Others were their boss, Rozina Breen, and Ms Breen's boss Helen Thomas. although such was the effect of what Alex Belfield did that some were . During the trial, Mr Keith told the court he was left feeling suicidal by a tsunami of hate from Alex Belfield. In relation to the women, the judge said: "Each of them suffered a campaign of harassment by email and social media communications. Aaron Sidwell was smart enough to retract his comments immediately: Phillip Dehany refuses to delete his post/vlog repeating the lies and endorsing Hewis. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? Both had come to the defence of others under attack by Belfield. Ten months into the job, Belfield pushed his luck too far in an innuendo-laden chat with the stations weather presenter, in which he suggested he had been masturbating over her. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. "There's a good chance of a custodial sentence," he added. "You made this highly successful and confident radio presenter lose all joy in life and turned him into a shell.". For the TV presenter Jeremy Vine, the most high-profile target of arguably Britains most prolific troll, it would be the first time in several years that he could host a live phone-in without worrying that one of Belfields acolytes would hijack the programme to confront him with Belfields lies. Sanctimonious, petulant and remorseless, taking elements of fact and twisting them to suit his own purposes while belittling his targets and monetising these distortions, even as he sat in a prison cell. On Count 5 you were convicted of stalking Mr Bernard Spedding - known professionally as Bernie Keith. 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A cruel former BBC local radio presenter who stalked broadcasters including TV's Jeremy Vine and BBC Northampton's Bernie Keith has been jailed for more than five years. Its not enough to leave us to sink and swim, as we had to in this case, Breen wrote in an email to Rhodri Talfan Davies, the BBCs director of nations. They were exonerated. Count 8: Jeremy Vine, not guilty to stalking to cause alarm and distress but guilty to simply stalking - Belfield is sentenced to 13 weeks consecutively for stalking Mr Vine. The judge described Mr Dehanys mother as robust for the way she dealt calmly with Belfield, telling her: Everybody needs a mother like you. Mr Justice Saini said: It was an outrageous and cruel act to call her and make a recording, which Belfield later used as content on his channel. What will the next pandemic be? And what did he mean by: We will be back? He presents aYouTubechannel called Voice of Reason, which has over 361,000 subscribers. The civil application, which pre-dates the criminal case, is for a Stalking Protection Order on the basis he has carried out acts associated with stalking. Never miss a crime story with our free email updates. Despite later coming out as a member of the LGBT community when defending himself against allegations of homophobia in his trial, Belfield attempted to project an image of rampant heterosexuality for much of his life, with frequent references to breasticles and the current or future Mrs Belfield. It came following a trial at Nottingham Crown Court, during which the . Why do the four women involved feel let down? We were the warm-up act.. He was cleared of stalking charges in relation to the BBC's former head of North Rozina Breen, former BBC Radio Leeds presenters Liz Green and Stephanie Hirst, and former BBC worker Helen Thomas. Mr Justice Saini had sentenced Belfield to two-and-a-half years for stalking one of the complainants, Bernie Keith. Green still works for the BBC but is trying to negotiate a settlement to leave. Finally, respite from what for some had been a decade of near-constant abuse. If that way was via abuse, then that was certainly effective in being part of your story. Ben Hewis refuses to communicate with Nottingham Police. is an English professional association football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.The club was formed in the late 1870s and in 1884 they took the name Burslem Port Vale, dropping the 'Burslem' prefix in 1907. Alex Belfield has been jailed on four stalking charges (Picture: SWNS / PA) . During his trial, Belfield, 42, of Shaldon Close in Mapperley, had opted not to give evidence in his defence before giving a closing speech, in which he claimed he was a whistleblower who had seen two-and-a-half years of his life torn apart by police inquiries. When blocked on Twitter he used other accounts to see what I was tweeting and routinely publicly mocked me to his social media followers, posting screengrabs he could only have obtained by using an account that I hadn't blocked.". We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. This is the Jimmy Savile of trolling., Likening watching Belfields videos to swimming in sewage, Mr Vine said of the defendants conduct: It felt like I had a fish hook in my face and my flesh was being torn, and the only way to avoid further pain was to stay completely still., Jurors convicted Belfield of four charges committed between 2012 and 2021. He also contacted Hewiss clients to undermine his business and encouraged his followers to join in with the abuse. The relief was temporary. Bernie Keith, who presents mid-morning shows and a weekly rock'n'roll programme on BBC Radio Northampton, said former BBC Radio Leeds DJ Alex Belfield had subjected him to "naked" hatred . Within days, 15,000 people had signed a Free Alex Belfield petition and Hopkins was on Instagram mocking Belfields targets for whining about simple hurty words. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. BBC & RPC lawyers refuse to deny BBC DJ Bernard Spedding / Bernie Keith wrote email. All of the people who liked and re-tweeted Hewis libel will be called as witnesses. In October 2020, Belfield spread a false rumour that he was having an affair with a fellow BBC radio presenter, using it as part of his ongoing campaign against the national broadcaster. Im clearly of more risk to this country than a man who is attracted to children, he deadpanned. Belfield, who now runs a YouTube channel called The Voice of Reason, told jurors he had legitimate reasons for his online communications. 'You can't work out how it's happened. He was convicted Friday, August 5, 2022, on four counts of stalking. Regardless, the judge clearly considered him a threat. One day, Green says she found a talented young producer crying in the toilets after being shouted at by Belfield. The judge made restraining orders in relation to all of the complainants, including those Belfield was not convicted of stalking. The effect on Keiths life was profound. while Mr Keith said the . "Bearing in mind the need for an overall proportionate sentence and the principle of totality, I am not satisfied that my final overall sentence of five years and 26 weeks would have been substantially higher had I been made aware of the correct legal position on count 5 [the charge relating to Bernie Keith].". To those who had been monitoring Belfields output for the past few years, it was no surprise that he wanted the final word. Read about our approach to external linking. Recommended Ex-BBC DJ guilty of stalking Jeremy Vine during 'vile' hate campaign 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. The author identified himself in the screen-grab published by Hewis. We have no choice but to take action against The Stagey Blog too. Bernie Keithwho presents mid-morning shows and a weekly rock 'n' roll programme on BBC Radio Northampton, said former BBC Radio Leeds DJ Alex Belfield had subjected him to 'naked' hatred and false claims. 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"The Crown makes no submission that the overall sentence was, given the new knowledge of the legal position, inappropriate or unduly lenient," said Mr Justice Saini at Leicester Crown Court. 2023 BBC. Bernie Keith BBC Radio Northampton from Alex Belfield on Vimeo. "This was the darkest point of my life because there was no end to it. Alex Belfield is convicted of stalking four people online but cleared of stalking four others. Former BBC DJ Alex Belfield has been discovered responsible of the relentless stalking of different broadcasters, together with Jeremy Vine, who he Trending 'La Brea' Season 2 Trailer Goes EVEN DEEPER. alex belfield wife name. Thats a word I have never heard We four were left to suffer and are suffering still, she says. In relation to Jeremy Vine and theatre blogger Philip Dehany, Belfield was found guilty of two lesser offences of "simple" stalking, which does not require serious alarm or distress to be proved. No more waking up in the middle of the night filled with dread about what he might have said about them to his then 373,000. Close Belfield-watchers believe his lurch to the right was a business decision rather than an ideological one. Published: 11:08 EST, 21 July 2022 | Updated: 11:22 EST, 21 July 2022. Ex-BBC presenter Alex Belfield's "campaign of harassment" had left Northampton's Bernie Keith "just seconds away" from suicide. "He now has developed the insight that he didn't have before," Mr Aubrey said. Ms Breen had been his boss at BBC Radio Leeds, Ms Green had been a fellow radio presenter, Ms Thomas had been Ms Breen's boss, and Ms Hirst joined BBC Radio Leeds as a presenter after Belfield left. But on August 5, 2022 he was found guilty of "simple stalking" regarding Vine and blogger Philip Dehany. But the judge made further orders protecting the individuals in the stalking charges where Belfield was acquitted - in favour of Rozina Breen, Helen Thomas, Liz Green and Stephanie Hirst under section 5A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. Belfield compared his treatment with that of a police officer who had escaped jail despite being convicted of possessing child abuse images. Resolved: Release in which this issue/RFE has been resolved. I am offensive My human right allows me to speak words that are not to everyones taste, he told the jury. Living on the edge (literally! Read about our approach to external linking. Follow us on Facebook here and Twitter here. Ex-BBC presenter Alex Belfield's campaign of harassment had left Northampton's Bernie Keith just seconds away from suicide. Green says she is deeply disappointed that the BBC did not commission an independent inquiry. Mr Justice Saini said: You made this highly successful and confident radio presenter lose all joy in life and turned him into a shell. 0 YouTuber Alex Belfield is planning to appeal against his prison sentence for stalking four men online. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Former BBC radio personality Alex Belfield, 42, is also a vlogger from Nottinghamshire. Alex Belfield, a former BBC presenter, appears at Nottingham Crown Court, on 12 counts of stalking on July 29, 2021. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Instead of a lawyer, he was often accompanied by James Brandon, a member of the old-school comedy duo the Grumbleweeds. Repeating a libel is not a defense in court. 918-707-5636 ohniyou ceiling fan manual. The BBC turned a blind eye to the abuse, says Green: We were not heard. The judge explained he did not question the verdicts of the jurors, but was applying the civil standard of proof when making the restraining orders. Jeremy Vine suffered 'Olympic level stalking' by presenter, court hears, Alex Belfield claimed radio station had 'refused' to mention Manchester terrorist attack, Stalker Alex Belfield has shelled out '300,000 already' on his legal case, YouTube still hosts convicted stalker Alex Belfield's videos, Ex-BBC DJ Alex Belfield accused of stalking tells jury he is the victim of a witch-hunt, Alex Belfield was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in behind bars. Apparently jealous that Keiths BBC career carried on while his own was stymied, Belfield set about trying to ruin Keiths life using his usual weapons of YouTube, Twitter and emails. The club joined the English Football League in 1892 as founder members of the Football League Second Division and though they resigned in 1907, they . . "Although you at no stage committed any physical acts, Mr Vine considered himself and his family to be at risk from you and his followers," the judge told Belfield. It was a nine-year obsession, which saw him make what the judge described as the false and scandalous accusation that Keith regularly had sex in public on gay beaches with strangers. He presents a YouTube channel called Voice of Reason, which has over 361,000 subscribers. I pleaded with him [Belfield] to stop. Judges are able to vary sentences under section 385 of the Sentencing Act 2020, but the judge decided not to. According to GoFundMe, which hosted the appeals, he raised a total of 29,446. 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(The person to be protected does not have to have been the victim of the acts mentioned above. . The sentences on each charge Belfield was convicted on: Count 5: BBC Radio Northampton's Bernie Keith, guilty of stalking to cause alarm and distress - Belfield has been given two-and-half years in prison on count 5; Count 6: Videographer Ben Hewis, guilty of stalking to cause alarm and distress - the sentence is consecutive to the previous term for the stalking of Mr Keith. Philip Dehany, a rival theatre blogger, who was targeted by Belfield in YouTube videos. Breen and Green both think the BBC failed all four women who gave evidence against Belfield. Each of them suffered a campaign of harassment by email and social media communications. The full wording of the charges stated he "pursued a course of conduct that amounted to harassment" of the complainants, which "amounted to stalking" and caused them "serious alarm or distress". 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For just over three minutes, the 42-year-old delivered a monologue in which he said he was in prison for simply defending himself. hen Alex Belfield was sent to prison for five and a half years last month for online stalking, his accusers cried with relief. For each of these offences he was sentenced to 13 weeks, also to run consecutively. Four women, past and previous BBC DJs and executives, had also accused Belfield of stalking them via email and social media, but the jury found him not guilty on those charges. Belfield was also convicted of the simple stalking of theatre blogger Philip Dehany, who suffered a vicious campaign of abuse. Addressing the jury in the third week of the trial, Mr Keith said Belfield's YouTube videos, emails and social media messages had included highly abusive language and a threat to 'hound you for the rest of your life'. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? Barring a successful appeal, Belfield will serve at least the next two years and 39 weeks in jail, before being released on licence to serve the second half of his sentence. Call Today! Christmas is always Belfield's busiest time of the year. The jurors accepted Belfield caused serious alarm or distress to two victims - the BBC Radio Northampton presenter Bernie Keith . Alex Belfield was convicted of four charges following a trial at Nottingham Crown Court, Belfield was found guilty of "simple" stalking in relation to BBC presenter Jeremy Vine, Belfield was previously a presenter at BBC Radio Leeds, Belfield made videos throughout his trial and posted them on YouTube. Belfield looked pale as he was led down to the cells as more than 20 of his supporters watched silently from the public gallery. Belfield showed no emotion and wrote on a piece of paper as verdicts were delivered. Fixed: Release in which this issue/RFE has been fixed.The release containing this fix may be available for download as an Early Access Release or a General Availability Release. All is explained in the video. Mr Justice Saini said Belfield developed a fixation in pursuing Mr Vine with a campaign of abuse, with the broadcaster having to warn his wife and children to watch out for the defendant, especially after his home address was published by his followers. In his closing speech to jurors at Nottingham Crown Court, Belfield said he had a right to freedom of speech, and some of the communications were in his role as a journalist, holding the BBC to account. He had never gone near anyone, he insisted, and was not accused of threatening any violence. Belfield also published Mr Vine's address to a "mass audience", the judge said. "My initial reaction [to the stalking] was 'He's gone mad'," Mr Spedding told the trial. Breen sacked him on the spot, but agreed to honour the last two months of his contract. During his trial, the court heard from his stalking victims - including BBC Radio Northampton presenter Bernie Keith. I dont think that stuff even bothered him.. "He had to ask his family to watch out for you and to take care in and around their home address.". Why would he/they not deny it if he didnt send it? Asked by prosecutor John McGuinness QC to explain the personal, professional and health impact of the alleged stalking, Mr Keith responded: 'I had physical threats and, I believe, death threats. Two days have been set aside to hear the application at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on March 7. A former BBC radio presenter has been found guilty of stalking four people including broadcaster Jeremy Vine. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. Belfield was found not guilty of stalking Rozina Breen, Liz Green, Helen Thomas and Stephanie Hirst. In relation to Jeremy Vine and theatre blogger Philip Dehany, he was found guilty of two lesser offences of "simple" stalking, which does not require serious alarm or distress to be proved. Instantly disprovable lies published by Ben Hewis. BBC Radio Northampton presenter Bernie Keith was left feeling suicidal by a "tsunami of hate", jurors heard. \Mb+r'rS~(aU\voP GCK16X0v04p62h,3 0b``f:(x3j=)\-u`IL! Belfield, 42, who weaponised the internet, was last month found guilty at Nottingham Crown Court of waging a relentless campaign, where Mr Vine said he was subjected to an avalanche of hatred. 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