It was hard to take any satisfaction from the jailing of this despicable man when he will not serve a single day in jail for what he did to the four Leeds women, he said. Ben Hewis refuses to communicate with Nottingham Police. Instead of a lawyer, he was often accompanied by James Brandon, a member of the old-school comedy duo the Grumbleweeds. Even after YouTube stopped him making money from his channel, Belfield was still reasonably flush. Former BBC presenter found guilty of stalking, 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. 18:16, 4 JAN 2023. Belfields final BBC target was Vine, who made the mistake of responding after learning that Belfield had called him and fellow broadcaster Victoria Derbyshire cunts online. For the BBC to protect the liar who did this is unthinkable in 2020. Then, during a broadcast at Leeds Playhouse, he asked an elderly lady what colour knickers she was wearing, resulting in the theatre boycotting the station. Ben Hewis is perverting the course of justice. alex belfield wife name - legal-innovation.com 603 0 obj
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Iain Lee says he was 'too scared' to take convicted stalker Alex He had never gone near anyone, he insisted, and was not accused of threatening any violence. 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. BBC Radio Northampton presenter Bernie Keith was left feeling suicidal by a "tsunami of hate", the trial heard. Mr Justice Saini said: You made this highly successful and confident radio presenter lose all joy in life and turned him into a shell. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk. "He said he could see their distress in court and feels deeply sorry for what he did.". Find Alex Belfield's email address, contact information, LinkedIn, Twitter, other social media and more. BBC Radio Northampton presenter Bernie Keith was left feeling suicidal by a "tsunami of hate", jurors heard. The author identified himself in the screen-grab published by Hewis. The Belfield Green knew at Radio Leeds in 2010 was difficult but he wasnt a table-thumping, immigrant-hating rightwing polemicist, she says. Alex Belfield arriving at Nottingham Crown Court on the day of his sentencing. Broadcaster Alex Belfield arrested FIVE times and strip-searched Mr Justice Saini had sentenced Belfield to two-and-a-half years for stalking one of the complainants, Bernie Keith. Mr Justice Saini had sentenced Belfield to two-and-a-half years for stalking one of the complainants, Bernie Keith. Who is Alex Belfield and why has he been jailed? Your email address will not be published. The TV presenter labelled him the Jimmy Savile of trolling during the trial, which heard he repeatedly posted or sent abusive messages, videos and emails. "Your methods were, however, just as effective as a way of intimidating your victims, and were in many ways much harder to deal with.". VideoRussian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, Xi Jinping's power grab - and why it matters, Snow, Fire and Lights: Photos of the Week. I accept the evidence that Mr Belfield effectively followed these women by online harassment throughout their careers, said the judge. Alex Belfield, 42, who "weaponised the internet", . Another of Belfields victims was a videographer targeted after tweeting his disgust at one of the defendants YouTube videos, sending a foetal scan to the man and trying to contact his then-pregnant wife. Toggle primary navigation. But some of the complainants feel they never really got justice. "You were not a whistleblower in any sense but developed a fixation with pursuing Mr Vine with a campaign of abuse," the judge said. 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. Jeremy Vine's alleged stalker subjected BBC radio host Bernie Keith to Why do the four women involved feel let down? Nobody from the corporation has apologised for what I and the others faced for more than a decade.. One of the alleged victims - TV and radio presenter Jeremy Vine (pictured arriving at Nottingham Crown Court) - told the trial last week that 42-year-old Belfield is 'the Jimmy Savile of trolling'. Breen and Green both think the BBC failed all four women who gave evidence against Belfield. How many people signed up for 1 a week is unclear, though some live streams attracted barely 300 viewers. Belfield looked pale as he was led down to the cells as more than 20 of his supporters watched silently from the public gallery.
. Published: 11:08 EST, 21 July 2022 | Updated: 11:22 EST, 21 July 2022. There are lessons to learn clearly and the toxic nature of online hate will only get worse for staff. "Throughout this trial, victims and other witnesses have given evidence with dignity and I would like to thank them for their willingness to give evidence. . Online stalkers like you have the ability to recruit an army of followers whose conduct massively expands the effect of your stalking. I couldn't destroy the gift of life that they (his parents) gave me.'. hb```6Ad`0p Breen sacked him on the spot, but agreed to honour the last two months of his contract. The women were told: The aim of the review is to provide recommendations to the BBC on how it can best support colleagues facing online stalking or significant social media harassment.. Also speaking during the trial, describing watching Belfields video output as like swimming in sewage, Mr Vine said: 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.. According to the Institute of Lawfare, lawfare is the misuse and abuse of the law for political, commercial and military ends. Most of it had been withdrawn by Belfield by the time GoFundMe got around to banning him for inappropriate off-platform behaviour, with the exception of 5,260, which was refunded to donors. Each of them suffered serious mental health problems arising from Mr Belfield's conduct.". Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? Alex Belfield is a 42-year-old former BBC radio star and vlogger who hails from Nottinghamshire. Belfield was given a total of five years and 26 weeks in prison, of which he will serve half, on all four charges he was convicted of. 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. Rozina Breen, the corporation's former Head of North, told . although such was the effect of what Alex Belfield did that some were . He was found guilty of this offence in relation to only two of the complainants - BBC Radio Northampton presenter Bernie Spedding, who is known as Bernie Keith, and videographer Ben Hewis. I had gone to the police to make it stop and it was just getting worse. Recommended Ex-BBC DJ guilty of stalking Jeremy Vine during 'vile' hate campaign and BBC Radio Northampton's Bernie Keith. American mom living in Paris mesmerizes internet after revealing the VERY surprising after-school snack kids eat in France. They were exonerated. 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! He bought his detached house in Mapperley, Nottingham, for 314,950 in October 2018, and it is mortgaged. Ex-BBC DJ 'devastated' by stalker's 'completely transphobic' video On Count 5, His trial heard he made YouTube videos about them, posted messages on social media, sent emails, and also encouraged those that follow him to target them. Olivia Attwood praises best pal Georgia Harrison as 'brave and dignified' after Stephen Bear jailed for sharing sex tape, Peter Andre reveals strict rule for daughter Princess's career after she teams up with fashion brand, Where cast of Flipper are now - from hilarious run-in with the Queen to Breaking Bad fame & star with 14 kids by 4 mums, Stephen Bears fiance Jessica Smith vows to stick with him 'through thick and thin' after shamed reality star is jailed, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Radio host tells stalking trial of 'tsunami of hate' and abuse from Hewis encouraged an entire industry to block me.over lies he endorsed! Alex Belfield is a 42-year-old former BBC radio star and vlogger who hails from Nottinghamshire. His trial heard he made YouTube videos about them, posted messages on social media, sent emails, and also encouraged his followers to target them. Stalking Bernard Spedding (known as Bernie Keith) between 25 November 2012 and 2 April 2017, and between 3 April 2017 and 31 March 2021. . 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. It was a risk. Jeremy Vine cries in court as he calls BBC presenter Alex Belfield the Weve presented the BBC and RPCs Nicola Cain (now left the case as Bernies lawyer) with indisputable evidence that we believe BBC Northamptons Bernie Keith wrote this unprovoked attack. We have no choice but to take action against The Stagey Blog too. The optics arent good former managing editor at BBC Radio Leeds Rozina Breen. Would they ever truly be able to escape the man Vine described as an Olympic-level stalker? Belfield soon became obsessed with ruining Hewiss professional and personal life. His voice breaking with emotion, Mr Keith added: 'That removes the hope from my life that I will ever be free of this man. In relation to the women, the judge said: "Each of them suffered a campaign of harassment by email and social media communications. 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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. Ex BBC DJ Alex Belfield jailed for five years for stalking Jeremy Vine Belfield compared his treatment with that of a police officer who had escaped jail despite being convicted of possessing child abuse images. As Prince Harry says he felt like the film 'the boy in the bubble' before having therapy, who was 12-year-old David Vetter whose tragic story inspired the documentary? All Rights Reserved. Breen says she and others flagged Belfields behaviour repeatedly but were told just not to look at the emails, or to delete them. hWmo8+}(fI0He&[%@bwYsun!-Q$m>|(c #*fD((B+AH"9hn@*bJM
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@C!|D@F;= 4`EwsivT! Alex Belfields online harassment made life misery for BBC presenters Jeremy Vine, Liz Green and many others. 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. 2023 BBC. I find you intended to maximise Mr Keiths distress.. Between 2004 and 2010, he appeared on radio stations, including Mercia FM, Touch FM, BBC Bristol, BBC Radio Shropshire and BBC Hereford and Worcester. She suffered years of what the judge described as transphobic and hateful comments motivated in part at least by feelings of jealousy as to her success when his own career within the BBC had foundered. But on August 5, 2022 he was found guilty of "simple stalking" regarding Vine and blogger Philip Dehany. Both question why the corporation only really took the abuse seriously once a well-known man Vine was involved. Read about our approach to external linking. Never miss a crime story with our free email updates. The eight complainants hoped to never hear from their tormenter again, only to discover that he had arranged for that one final, defiant video to go live after the judge sent him down, goading them from beyond his prison walls. In a statement last week, the BBC said: We know this has been very difficult for those involved and we continue to provide support to current and former staff. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? Corporate Lawfare and Stalking. Regardless, the judge clearly considered him a threat. Two days have been set aside to hear the application at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on March 7. Feb 8. Ex-BBC DJ guilty of stalking Jeremy Vine during 'vile' hate campaign 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. Alex Belfield: YouTuber plans appeal against stalking jail sentence Ex-BBC boss Rozina Breen stalked by former Radio Leeds DJ Alex Belfield Former DJ jailed for more than five years for stalking BBC Radio "He now has developed the insight that he didn't have before," Mr Aubrey said. December is a busy month. He would harass some theatre companies, to the extent that his email address was blocked, and front of house staff were warned about him., Belfield had a complicated relationship with the entertainment industry, the director believes. Bernard Spedding ignored every single correspondence. Read about our approach to external linking. Find Alex Belfield of CelebrityRadio.biz's articles, email address, contact information, Twitter and more. You are entitled to hold and express views but you are not entitled to destroy the personal lives of your victims through online harassment.. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. An ex-BBC boss has told a court how she felt as though she had a "noose around my neck" after being stalked by a former Radio Leeds DJ. Stalker Alex Belfield has bid for leave to appeal sentence refused Required fields are marked *. Mr Spedding, the trial heard, was left feeling suicidal by a "tsunami of hate" from Belfield. Ben Hewis refuses to engage with the police and hand over the email. ', Belfield had made a bogus claim that he had been sacked, Mr Keith said, adding: 'It was all too much. I NEED YOUR HELP TO GET JUSTICE. Finally, respite from what for some had been a decade of near-constant abuse. The criteria for applying for an order are set out in section 1(1) of the Stalking Protection Act 2019. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Ex-BBC Radio DJ Alex Belfield JAILED for stalking Jeremy Vine This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. 01604 491005. Apparently jealous that Keith's BBC career carried on while his own was . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. Mr Vine was subjected to false and baseless claims relating to the supposed theft of 1,000, the court heard. Hazell is one of numerous others who now say Belfield trolled them. 562 0 obj
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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. Im clearly of more risk to this country than a man who is attracted to children, he deadpanned. The judge said one of his victims came close to killing himself. Moslimin, unser einzig logische weiters beste arabische & muslimische Online dating-, Ehe- und Freundschaftsseite ihr Erde Selbige Moslimin-Webseite fur jedes Relationships weiters Hochzeit wird hinein mehreren Sprachen zuganglich unter anderem hundred% kostenlos Unter unserer Seite Moslimin wird parece nun erdenklich, Ihren zukunftigen Ehemann und Ihre zukunftige Angetraute inside mehreren . Both question why the corporation only really took the abuse seriously once a well-known man Vine was involved. and BBC Radio Northampton's Bernie Keith. Mr Vine faced a torrent of abuse online, including thousands of social media messages from Belfields followers and personal threats. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter'. . Remorseless Belfield videos himself as he arrives at court in July. . Horrific, vicious, cowardly.". Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk. 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. A former BBC DJ has been found guilty of waging a relentless stalking campaign against broadcasters and subjecting TV presenter Jeremy Vine to an 'avalanche of hatred.' Alex Belfield was labelled . 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). "This was the darkest point of my life because there was no end to it. Here's Celebrity Radio's BBC Bernie Keith & Ben Hewis STATEMENTFull statement on legal action & police inquiry - BBC Bernie Keith / Bernard Spedding & Ben Hewis . Saying he was proud of how he had managed to keep his troubles from his audience, the radio presenter continued: 'It's come at a huge personal toll. The judge told Belfield he will serve up to half of his sentence in prison and the remainder on licence. Bernie Keith (@BernieKeith100) / Twitter He presents aYouTubechannel called Voice of Reason, which has over 361,000 subscribers. \Mb+r'rS~(aU\voP GCK16X0v04p62h,3 0b``f:(x3j=)\-u`IL! Online stalkers like you have an ability to recruit an army of followers whose conduct massively expands the effect of your stalking, he said. 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". Some feel he was given too much power in his own trial. Green says she is deeply disappointed that the BBC did not commission an independent inquiry. During the trial, Mr Keith told the court he was left feeling suicidal by a tsunami of hate from Alex Belfield. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. We were the warm-up act.. He soon made it to the top of Belfields hitlist, featuring regularly as a hate figure in his videos and social media posts. Broadcaster Alex Belfield arrested FIVE times and strip-searched in 'BBC witch-hunt' The Home Secretary has been asked to intervene in an alleged "witch hunt" of a former BBC DJ who has been . Unprovoked, anonymous, malicious email published by Ben Hewis Oct 1 2019. Mr Belfield was today sentenced to five years and 26 months in prison at Nottingham Crown Court. Former BBC radio personality Alex Belfield, 42, is also a vlogger from Nottinghamshire. First Belfield bawled out the stations beloved gardening correspondent for a perceived act of insubordination, prompting a surge of listener complaints. I pleaded with him (Belfield) to stop. For just over three minutes, the 42-year-old delivered a monologue in which he said he was in prison for simply defending himself. 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. Instantly disprovable lies published by Ben Hewis. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. At first, he grew his audience with silly sketches and phone-ins, railing against government Covid policy, particularly the ban on care-home visits. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, 'I felt different to the rest of my family - and my mum felt the same': Prince Harry opens up on his 'broken home' upbringing saying parents rowing in front of children 'is not a good idea' - but FAILS to mention William once in 90min toxic trauma chat, DONALD J TRUMP: The world has finally woken to the truth about the Wuhan virus. 'You can't work out how it's happened. A security company had also been brought in to collect him from the radio station's car park, Mr Keith said. Prosecutors allege that Alex Belfield caused alarm and distress to eight victims after his contract with BBC Radio Leeds was not renewed in 2011. . This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Ex-BBC Radio Host Alex Belfield Convicted Of Stalking 4 - Deadline 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. Why would he/they not deny it if he didnt send it? What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? %%EOF
"In some cases this has extended to death threats," he said. Jurors deliberated for 14 hours and 27 minutes before reaching their verdicts, following a four-week trial that began on 5 July. Bernie Keith who presents mid-morning shows on BBC Radio Northampton, said former BBC Radio Leeds DJ Alex Belfield had subjected him to 'naked' hatred and false claims. However, he has also been charged with stalking Bernie Keith and videographer Ben Hewis. He will be even more unbearable, she said in an Instagram video, with a twinkle in her eye that suggested she can hardly wait. 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. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? I will refer to him by that name. In Mr Keiths case, the abuse was sustained over nine years, with the judge saying he had no escape from Belfield, who made up and repeated a wholly false and scandalous allegation about his former friend. This was a man who had not only eschewed lawyers to represent himself in court, but who had reported on his own trial each night online; a man who even after being found guilty, appeared on stage in Blackpool with controversial rightwing commentator Katie Hopkins, playing up his role as The Stalker as he awaited sentence. = I;&
While never submitting himself to cross-examination, he was allowed to deliver a pompous closing speech deriding the case as a BBC and police witch-hunt and describing himself as the No 1 anti-BBC journalist. One of the BBC targets was Bernie Keith, a veteran presenter at BBC Radio Northampton who was once Belfield's friend. 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. The Version table provides details related to the release that this issue/RFE will be addressed. The court heard the original application was amended to add two more people who did not form part of the criminal trial. I pleaded with him [Belfield] to stop. With an international audience via YouTube - Celebrity Radio continues to grow. Dehany ended up the subject of numerous YouTube broadcasts where Belfield suggested he was mentally ill, and called him a mincer and a little twirly with an incredibly tiny man sausage. 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. Refuses to deny he wrote the email. A "cruel" former BBC local radio presenter has been jailed for five years and 26 weeks for stalking broadcasters including Jeremy Vine. Steven J Miller, another YouTuber, explained Belfields initial appeal in his own video, recorded after Belfield was jailed: Alex Belfield was responsible for putting smiles on thousands and thousands of peoples faces and he did that not by slagging people off but by him being him. People loved Belfields innuendos, said Miller, giving an example of when Belfield filmed himself on a train platform as a train whizzed by and exclaimed: Oh, I nearly got sucked off!. Read about our approach to external linking. In 2006, he presented the breakfast show on Capital Gold in Birmingham for six weeks, before moving to London to take over the station's networked national late show called The Late Night Revolution. Bernard Spedding ignored every single correspondence. Aaron Sidwell was smart enough to retract his comments immediately: Phillip Dehany refuses to delete his post/vlog repeating the lies and endorsing Hewis.