The judge said it was an aggravating factor that Belfield's harassment was public, as this caused his social media followers to also abuse Mr Spedding over a "lengthy period". Friday Night is our 2nd Handbag Heaven Club Night. 603 0 obj <>stream "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].". Although jurors found Belfield not guilty of stalking Liz Green, Rozina Breen, Helen Thomas and Stephanie Hirst, Mr Justice Saini said Belfield had harassed them, and he made restraining orders to protect them in future. For each of these offences he was sentenced to 13 weeks, also to run consecutively. Hopkins believes he will be back, his ego bigger than ever after honing his act in front of a literally captive audience. The jurors accepted Belfield caused serious alarm or distress to two victims - the BBC Radio Northampton presenter Bernie Keith . 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. Mr Vine labelled him "the Jimmy Savile of trolling" during the trial which heard he repeatedly posted or sent abusive messages, videos and emails. After 6 months the BBC REFUSE to defend Bernie Keith and deny he sent it after 100+ emails. He hated being told how to improve by Jeremy, and thats where I think it all started.. For each of these charges he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, to run consecutively. Instead of a lawyer, he was often accompanied by James Brandon, a member of the old-school comedy duo the Grumbleweeds. Alex Belfield arriving at Nottingham Crown Court on the day of his sentencing. Mr Belfield, on 5 August 2022, following a 5 week trial here at Nottingham Crown Court the jury convicted you on 4 counts. Perhaps that independent review would expose those at the very top (men) who left us exposed. Ex-BBC presenter guilty of stalking broadcasters including Jeremy Vine and Radio Northampton's Bernie Keith. The BBC reports Alex Belfield, . How much money Belfield made in recent years is unclear. BBC & RPC lawyers refuse to deny BBC DJ Bernard Spedding / Bernie Keith wrote email. Mr Justice Saini, sentencing, told Belfield, who sat taking notes in the dock: Your offences are so serious only a custodial sentence can be justified.. Belfield currently hosts the Voice of Reason YouTube channel, which has over 372,000 subscribers. That he was allowed to play court reporter upset many complainants, particularly as Belfield decided not to give evidence under oath. For the best part of 10 years they had been complaining about Belfields vendetta, in which he sent hundreds, if not thousands, of emails to them and their superiors. 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. while Mr Keith said the . BBC Radio Leeds presenter Liz Green, who was harassed for 10 years by Belfield. His anti-BBC stance soon attracted prominent support: Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen appeared on his shows and last year wrote to Priti Patel, then home secretary, to complain about what he called a BBC witch-hunt against Belfield, after one of his arrests. 'I will never be able to work out why it has happened to me.'. 15:33, 16 SEP 2022. The royal we was a frequent Belfield affectation, designed to give the impression that he sat at the top of an anti-woke multimedia empire in the Alex Jones/Infowars mould. People who have worked on this game have also collaborated on the creation of the following games: Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One, a group of 620 people; Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault, a group of 361 people; Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, a group of 357 people; inFAMOUS 2, a group of 347 people; SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs, a group of 328 people "You made this highly successful and confident radio presenter lose all joy in life and turned him into a shell.". Giving evidence in court, Vine said: I have in the past had a physical stalker who followed me. The day he was found guilty he was wearing a Bermuda shirt and shorts. A security company had also been brought in to collect him from the radio station's car park, Mr Keith said. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. His planned appeal has now been mentioned in court by the trial judge, at a hearing which related to an error made when Belfield was sentenced. Jeremy Vine arriving at Nottingham Crown Court in July. Bernie Keith confirms he's mentally ill and in therapy March 2020. The respondent has carried out acts associated with stalking; The respondent poses a risk of stalking to a person; and, There is reasonable cause to believe the proposed order is necessary to protect the other person from that risk. Prosecutors allege that Belfield, who hosts a radio channel on YouTube, waged a relentless nine-year campaign of stalking against eight victims, including ex-colleagues, after BBC Radio Leeds did not renew his contract in 2011. First Belfield bawled out the stations beloved gardening correspondent for a perceived act of insubordination, prompting a surge of listener complaints. He started his own online show, Celebrity Radio, bagging interviews with famous people in return for advertising plugs, and tried to sell himself as a theatre and restaurant reviewer. Alex Belfield, who now runs a YouTube channel, stalked his victims by harassing them online. He said there was no escape for Belfields victims until bail conditions were imposed ahead of his trial, and agreed with Mr Vines characterisation that the ex-DJ had weaponised the internet against his targets. 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 . The judge told Belfield he will serve up to half of his sentence in prison and the remainder on licence. Bernard Spedding ignored every single correspondence. 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. Others were their boss, Rozina Breen, and Ms Breen's boss Helen Thomas. This resulted in my reputation destroyed in the eyes of peers who blocked me. Neither had ever met him. "My initial reaction [to the stalking] was 'He's gone mad'," Mr Spedding told the trial. Alleged stalker 'is victim of BBC witch-hunt', Jeremy Vine tells trial of 'avalanche of hatred', BBC boss 'terrified by radio host's stalking', Ex-BBC presenter 'stalked fellow broadcasters', Police appeal after stolen tools recovered, Jacksdale ferret rescue plans much-needed fundraiser, Plans for fast food outlets and a bar outside Motorpoint Arena, Huge solar farm near Gotham and East Leake recommended for approval, Community clean-up aims to improve feeling of safety in Warsop, Hucknall bus window smashed by yob with a brick, Street fighting in Bakhmut but Russia not in control, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. Asked why it had not banned Belfield from its platform following his conviction, YouTube did not respond. 918-707-5636 ohniyou ceiling fan manual. 'I can't remember when I have had a run of good sleep of longer than five hours. We cover what people are talking about every day and celebrate the very best that this incredible part of the world has to offer. Would they ever truly be able to escape the man Vine described as an Olympic-level stalker? Giving evidence to Nottingham Crown Court under his full name of Bernie Keith Spedding, he said his reputation is 'now in shreds' after 'proclamations of hate' and death threats, which have affected his health. She has asked the BBC to commission an independent investigation into what happened. Start the ball rolling by posting a comment on this article! and BBC Radio Northampton's Bernie Keith. 18:16, 4 JAN 2023. hWmo8+}(fI0He&[%@bwYsun!-Q$m>|(c #*fD((B+AH"9hn@*bJM (XDpn+X [EhA8b0BCJ ]JAD*# vb7kG;?+z]VlMow&k]dY\?2z?|Hzm|umLpM'lU),>9S*sD0xXl&[QdyLUvf% 5nLMY/]B~KJJeLPNAbK Clv/?`x8CG]* WAbZa\kC89ZCR7F-EdOzdoEey1*|z`L8}`! i_}Y/z*}Z4V0j_Zn(XP @C!|D@F;= 4`EwsivT! 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We were the warm-up act.. Worse, in 2013, a few years into Belfields campaign against her and Breen, the BBCs HR team chose to launch an investigation not into their harassment, but into whether they were guilty of bullying Belfield. 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 Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. Former BBC local radio DJ Alex Belfield has been found guilty of four . I AM A VICTIM OF A CRIME. 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. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. His aim was, in his own words, to haunt his victims, and he deployed his army of followers to pile on with abusive messages to those targeted, said Mr Justice Saini. "Alex Belfield had no qualms about the abuse he handed out, in many cases publicly.". He presents aYouTubechannel called Voice of Reason, which has over 361,000 subscribers. The optics arent good, says Breen. He soon made it to the top of Belfields hitlist, featuring regularly as a hate figure in his videos and social media posts. "From his very first email and in the majority of communications thereafter, he used my wife and children as his main weapon to terrify, intimidate and blackmail me," he wrote. Alex Belfield and Katie Hopkins in a video on her YouTube channel, advertising the show they did together. Belfield, of Mapperley, Nottingham, denies causing serious alarm or distress to Channel 5 and BBC Radio 2 presenter Mr Vine, former BBC Radio Leeds mid-morning show host Stephanie Hirst, Mr Keith and five other people. Here's Celebrity Radio's BBC Bernie Keith & Ben Hewis STATEMENTFull statement on legal action & police inquiry - BBC Bernie Keith / Bernard Spedding & Ben Hewis . We were the learning curve for Belfield. He did so after the prosecution told him the maximum sentence for this offence was five years, but the maximum sentence is actually 10 years. More videos coming soon.. 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". READ MORE: The cinemas in Northamptonshire showing the Queen's funeral on Monday for free, Jurors accepted Belfield caused serious alarm or distress to two victims and found him guilty of simple stalking in relation to Channel 5 and BBC Radio 2 presenter Mr Vine and theatre blogger Philip Dehany. He has also been convicted of stalking Bernie Keith and videographer Ben Hewis. Do not sell or share my personal information. Judge tells Alex Belfield to expect jail over nine-year 'campaign of harassment' The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The judge said Belfield had made "wholly false" allegations about Mr Vine stealing 1,000 of BBC licence payers' money, in a video which was viewed by more than 400,000 people. If you are watching this, I have been sent to jail, intoned Belfield in his Steve Wright meets Alan Partridge boom, standing in front of a skewwhiff union jack in the living room of his Nottingham home, wearing one of his trademark jazzy shirts. endstream endobj startxref Bernard Spedding - guilty (majority verdict), Philip Dehany - not guilty to the charge on the indictment but guilty of the alternative charge of "simple" stalking (majority verdict), Jeremy Vine - not guilty to the charge on the indictment but guilty of the alternative charge of "simple" stalking (unanimous verdict). Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Belfield came with certain baggage, not least an Ofcom reprimand four years earlier, after he had referred to a pregnant teenager on Capital Gold as a dirty little slapper and a dirty little tart. Last month, Belfield was found guilty of stalking Hewis and BBC Radio Northampton presenter Bernie Keith, and convicted of "simple" stalking - which means stalking without alarm or distress . We have begged the BBC to resolve this quietly and privately. Prosecutors claimed Belfield subjected Vine to a relentless online campaign that included a wave of personal and unpleasant attacks on YouTube,TwitterandFacebookover an 11-month period. Labour MP Barry Sheerman is calling for an independent inquiry into how the BBC treated female staff who were harassed online by Belfield. Belfield was not accused of physically stalking the complainants, who were mostly current or former BBC staff. When not filming himself he would address his camera operator as Tarquin. Alex Belfields online harassment made life misery for BBC presenters Jeremy Vine, Liz Green and many others. Launching it on 1 March this year, Belfield said he wanted to broadcast away from the toxic spectrumed trolls, lefties, fart heads & Mogadon moronic medicated mentalists & journalists. The optics arent good former managing editor at BBC Radio Leeds Rozina Breen. 100+ emails sent/received from BBC & lawyers no defense of Spedding whatsoever. Read about our approach to external linking. 2023 BBC. At NorthantsLive we're more than just news. Alex performed 56 shows in 2012, 48 shows in 2013, 52 shows in 2014 & 54 shows in 2015.. With up to 3 or 4 shows a day - this years mammoth tour was his biggest production yet! All is explained in the video. %%EOF A civil stalking order is being pursued at the magistrates' court against former BBC DJ Alex Belfield, from Mapperley, who is now serving a sentence of more than five years in prison for his shameful conduct online. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Belfield, who is 42 and from Nottingham, was originally charged with stalking eight different people, who were mostly current or former BBC staff. ', Belfield had made a bogus claim that he had been sacked, Mr Keith said, adding: 'It was all too much. We also want to learn from this to ensure we offer the best possible support to all colleagues, who may sadly experience the threat and risks of online stalking in the future., Last Friday, the four BBC women received an email saying the BBC had commissioned an internal review to establish what lessons can be learned from the recent criminal case. 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. He hated the thing he loved, or hated other people having success within it.. But Breen thought he would bring personality to the station. Belfield looked pale as he was led down to the cells as more than 20 of his supporters watched silently from the public gallery. 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. 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. Jurors convicted Belfield, of Mapperley, Nottingham, of four charges committed between 2012 and 2021 and for each of these charges, he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, to run consecutively. Iain Lee says he was "too scared" to take former BBC radio presenter Alex Belfield to court, claiming that the convicted stalker made his life "miserable".. Belfield, 42, was sentenced to more than five years in prison on Friday after being found guilty of stalking four people, including the TV presenter Jeremy Vine, 57.. Alex Belfield, a former BBC presenter, appears at Nottingham Crown Court, on 12 counts of stalking on July 29, 2021. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. According to GoFundMe, which hosted the appeals, he raised a total of 29,446. Prosecutor John McGuinness QC told Nottingham Crown Court that Alex Belfield's lies had a "devastating effect" on Bernie Keith, who presents the mid-morning show on the BBC station . 578 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<64333CF35435EE40AE1982510F889B77>]/Index[562 42]/Info 561 0 R/Length 90/Prev 190620/Root 563 0 R/Size 604/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream In court, he claimed to have nine employees, but who they are remains a mystery. Read about our approach to external linking. For the BBC to protect the liar who did this is unthinkable in 2020. Some believe he relied on others as media monitors and had sources within the BBC itself: he seemed to know everything discussed on each of their radio shows every day, along with a number of internal matters. He soon made enemies in the theatre world, says a director who started monitoring his online activities a few years ago (and who wishes to remain anonymous). 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. Belfield also published Mr Vine's address to a "mass audience", the judge said. At first, he grew his audience with silly sketches and phone-ins, railing against government Covid policy, particularly the ban on care-home visits. alex belfield wife name. Mr Justice Saini said Belfield's campaign of harassment had left Mr Keith just seconds away from dying by suicide. Ben Hewis refuses to engage with the police and hand over the email. The 42-year-old was also found guilty of stalking BBC Radio Northampton presenter Bernie Keith and videographer Ben Hewis. I couldn't destroy the gift of life that they (his parents) gave me.'. 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 . The verdicts in relation to each complainant were: Giving evidence to the trial, Mr Vine described Belfield's behaviour as "like an avalanche of hatred you get hit by", and "absolutely Olympic-level stalking, even for broadcasting". I live in fear and I have done for a long time, she says. Sentencing Belfield, the judge said he had made this highly successful and confident radio presenter lose all joy in life and turned him into a shell He was terrified of you. So scared was Keith that he gave neighbours a copy of Belfields photograph, in case he decided to take his campaign of harassment offline. The BBC turned a blind eye to the abuse, says Green: We were not heard. He is being sued for libel by Vine, as well as by the Nottinghamshire police detective in charge of the case against him, and when ordered to pay Vines initial costs of 26,000 after failing to file a defence on time, paid up, in October 2021, within a few days. 'You can't work out how it's happened. Alex Belfield has been warned he could be jailed, Alex Belfield was found guilty of "simple" stalking in relation to BBC presenter Jeremy Vine, Alex Belfield was convicted of four offences at Nottingham Crown Court, Mr Belfield was previously a presenter at BBC Radio Leeds.
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