endstream endobj startxref Broadcaster Alex Belfield arrested FIVE times and strip-searched Official YouTube stats show that www . Former DJ jailed for more than five years for stalking BBC Radio 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. "My initial reaction [to the stalking] was 'He's gone mad'," Mr Spedding told the trial. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk. 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'. Mr Justice Saini said Belfield's campaign of harassment had left Mr Keith just seconds away from dying by suicide. Alex Belfield, 42, who "weaponised the internet", was last month found guilty at Nottingham Crown Court of waging a relentless campaign, with TV's Mr Vine subjected to an "avalanche of hatred". One of the alleged victims - TV and radio presenter Jeremy Vine - told the trial last week that 42-year-old Belfield is 'the Jimmy Savile of trolling'. "He was seconds away from taking his own life as a result of your conduct," the judge, Mr Justice Saini, told Belfield. 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. We cover what people are talking about every day and celebrate the very best that this incredible part of the world has to offer. Unprovoked, anonymous, malicious email published by Ben Hewis Oct 1 2019. 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.. 603 0 obj <>stream Why would he/they not deny it if he didnt send it? They were exonerated. Both had come to the defence of others under attack by Belfield. Jeremy Vine cries in court as he calls BBC presenter Alex Belfield the 01604 491005. 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'. 'I will never be able to work out why it has happened to me.'. 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. 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I pleaded with him [Belfield] to stop. Ben Hewis refuses to communicate with Nottingham Police. Mr Vine faced a torrent of abuse online, including thousands of social media messages from Belfields followers and personal threats. Belfield showed no emotion and wrote on a piece of paper as verdicts were delivered. Radio host tells stalking trial of 'tsunami of hate' and abuse from Instead, he made YouTube videos about them, posted messages on social media, and sent emails either to them or about them. After 6 months the BBC REFUSE to defend Bernie Keith and deny he sent it after 100+ emails. It came following a trial at Nottingham Crown Court, during which the . 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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Christmas is always Belfield's busiest time of the year. Bernard Spedding ignored every single correspondence. Is Alex Belfield a Victim of Lawfare? - The Expose hb```6Ad`0p The author identified himself in the screen-grab published by Hewis. The application is being followed-up in its original format, including victims from his trial, and with two more people added - who were not involved in his trial. I dont think that stuff even bothered him.. Ex-BBC presenter guilty of stalking broadcasters including Jeremy Vine and Radio Northampton's Bernie Keith. He and Belfield had known each other through work, the trial heard, but Belfield had never met the other three men he was convicted of stalking. All he had done, he suggested, was challenge people who had said things I believed to be untrue. 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. 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". The judge said one of his victims came close to killing himself. Since 2012 Belfield has focused on presenting and producing content for his website Celebrity Radio. Nobody from the corporation has apologised for what I and the others faced for more than a decade.. He took photos of Hewiss wife and young child from social media and included them in his videos, even using a picture of a foetal scan showing Hewiss unborn baby as part of his relentless email campaign of harassment. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? Alex Belfield was labelled 'the Jimmy Savile of trolling' during the trial, Subscribe today to get the latest Northants headlines straight to your inbox with our free email updates. 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. View our online Press Pack. Why did it take so long to bring him to justice? A "cruel" former BBC local radio presenter has been jailed for five years and 26 weeks for stalking broadcasters including Jeremy Vine. Jeremy Vine arriving at Nottingham Crown Court in July. Sometimes these emails included what the judge said were highly offensive and personal comments about their physical appearance, including sexualised comments as well as wholly false allegations that the women had bullied him. Bernie Keith (pictured) 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 and false claims, Prosecutors allege that Belfield (pictured arriving at Nottingham Crown Court), 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. To have your reputation destroyed maliciously is unforgivable. All is explained in the video. Breen says she and others flagged Belfields behaviour repeatedly but were told just not to look at the emails, or to delete them. 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. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. Resolved: Release in which this issue/RFE has been resolved. Ex-BBC DJ Alex Belfield jailed for stalking Jeremy Vine and other Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Ex-BBC Radio DJ Alex Belfield JAILED for stalking Jeremy Vine endstream endobj 566 0 obj <>stream 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. . After being sacked from BBC Radio Leeds, Belfield had to move back to live with his mother in Nottinghamshire and found it difficult to get regular radio work. 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. Even after YouTube stopped him making money from his channel, Belfield was still reasonably flush. Breen sacked him on the spot, but agreed to honour the last two months of his contract. Belfield was found not guilty of stalking Rozina Breen, Liz Green, Helen Thomas and Stephanie Hirst. Ex-BBC presenter Alex Belfield's campaign of harassment had left Northampton's Bernie Keith just seconds away from suicide. Yet, he remains unstable and on air at the BBC. 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. arring 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. 2023 BBC. Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. Alex Belfield - Bernie Keith's statement. - YouTube Hazell is one of numerous others who now say Belfield trolled them. endstream endobj 563 0 obj <>/Metadata 36 0 R/Pages 560 0 R/StructTreeRoot 43 0 R/Type/Catalog/ViewerPreferences 579 0 R>> endobj 564 0 obj <>/MediaBox[0 0 595.32 841.92]/Parent 560 0 R/Resources<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI]>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/Tabs/S/Type/Page>> endobj 565 0 obj <>stream During his trial, the court heard from his stalking victims - including BBC Radio Northampton presenter Bernie Keith. By the time Belfield began tormenting Dehany in 2020 he had become a successful YouTuber who could have been earning up to 528,000 a year, according to Social Blade, a website that monitors social media channels. Belfield also phoned Dehanys mother and then threatened to broadcast the call an outrageous and cruel act, said Saini and effectively sought to blackmail him by revealing details of a long-spent conviction. Ex-BBC boss Rozina Breen stalked by former Radio Leeds DJ Alex Belfield 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. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Alex Belfield has been jailed for five and a half years. Belfield currently hosts the Voice of Reason YouTube channel, which has over 372,000 subscribers. Instead of a lawyer, he was often accompanied by James Brandon, a member of the old-school comedy duo the Grumbleweeds. Ben Hewis is perverting the course of justice. Philip Dehany, a rival theatre blogger, who was targeted by Belfield in YouTube videos. Prosecutors allege Mr Belfield, 42, caused serious alarm or distress to Vine, as well as Stephanie Hirst, a former BBC Radio Leeds mid-morning show host, and Bernie Keith, of BBC Radio Northampton. Your email address will not be published. Bid for order to protect 10 people from stalker Alex Belfield 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. Unless there are broadcast prohibitions attached to his release, there is nothing to stop Belfield firing up Voice of Reason again when he gets out of jail. UPDATE. Alex Belfield arrives at Nottingham crown court in July for the trial in which he was accused of stalking. . Former BBC local radio DJ Alex Belfield has been found guilty of four . 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. ', Belfield had made a bogus claim that he had been sacked, Mr Keith said, adding: 'It was all too much. Within hours, a video appeared on Belfields secret video channel, accessible to anyone willing to pay him a pound a week. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? I accept the evidence that Mr Belfield effectively followed these women by online harassment throughout their careers, said the judge. Living on the edge (literally! =NYOn:0'tzcD|k1xKx^-58nn-~?Oo>K KJ9OVJN3>:EOLbTk*q2ScG=UrS+0t-qNXZ.3X ;{h0B. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. . During the trial at Nottingham Crown Court, Judge, Mr Justice Saini spoke of how BBC Radio Northampton presenter Bernie Keith was "seconds away" from killing himself after suffering from tsunami of hate. 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. A wacky array of clothing Belfield arrives at court in August. 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. I NEED YOUR HELP TO GET JUSTICE. Ex-BBC Radio Host Alex Belfield Convicted Of Stalking 4 - Deadline But when Aubrey caught Covid, Vine opted to be questioned by Belfield rather than delay a long-booked holiday, and found himself being asked about the true meaning of the word cunt. He loved and hated showbusiness, and if he couldnt be you, hed have you, and be part of you, another way. Ex BBC DJ Alex Belfield jailed for five years for stalking Jeremy Vine The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. He said a pre-sentence report showed that while Belfield fully acknowledges the distress to victims, it also highlights you still appear to focus on the impact on you and feel in certain respects youve been unfairly treated. There are lessons to learn clearly and the toxic nature of online hate will only get worse for staff. His trial heard he made YouTube videos about them, posted messages on social media, sent emails, and also encouraged his followers to target them. 6 months later Ben Hewis REFUSES to release the email. 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. Mr Spedding, who is known as Bernie Keith, and videographer Ben Hewis. Alex Belfield, who now runs a YouTube channel, stalked his victims by harassing them online. A BBC radio host has revealed that alleged stalking by an ex-staff member left him contemplating suicide. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. 'Cruel' ex-BBC DJ Alex Belfield jailed for stalking Jeremy Vine online Jurors deliberated for 14 hours and 27 minutes before reaching their verdicts, following a four-week trial that began on 5 July. Ben Hewis is perverting the course of justice. The 42-year-old, from Nottingham, is due to be sentenced on 16 September and has been warned he could be jailed. The judge said that while Belfield did not physically approach or watch his victims, the effects were just as damaging. @decotheatre. BBC & RPC lawyers refuse to deny BBC DJ Bernard Spedding / Bernie Keith wrote email. You made communications which had serious impacts on the private lives of the complainants, with distressing effects on their mental and physical health. He bought his detached house in Mapperley, Nottingham, for 314,950 in October 2018, and it is mortgaged. Collaborations. He presents a YouTube channel called Voice of Reason, which has over 361,000 subscribers. Belfield, 42, subjected four people in a "relentless" campaign of stalking - including broadcaster Jeremy Vine. 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. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Alex Belfields online harassment made life misery for BBC presenters Jeremy Vine, Liz Green and many others. While most defendants on trial try to avoid cameras on the way into court, Belfield seemed to be doing his best to attract them, wearing an array of wacky jackets and shirts. Heres the facts on what happened. ). Follow us on Facebook here and Twitter here. Something went wrong, please try again later. Belfield soon became obsessed with ruining Hewiss professional and personal life. 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). and BBC Radio Northampton's Bernie Keith. 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.