For anyone interested in what I was subjected to, below is my victim personal statement: Ben Hewis (@benhewis) September 16, 2022. So at that point I was scared for them," he said. Neither had ever met him. 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. A FORMER BBC DJ who stalked Jeremy Vine in a "relentless" campaign has today been jailed. For each of these offences, he was sentenced to 13 weeks, also to run consecutively. YouTube creator and former BBC journalist Alex Belfield has continued posting videos on the platform despite being found guilty of stalking charges. He was sentenced on Friday at Nottingham Crown Court after being convicted of four stalking charges against broadcasters including Jeremy Vine. I think the jury thought: Oh, it cant have been that bad. She says Belfield has destroyed her mental health, and that she was so frightened that he or his followers would turn up at her house, she spent 20,000 on security measures. "Our community guidelines prohibit content that threatens individuals and we have removed several videos for violating these policies. A few months in, alarm bells started to ring, remembers Liz Green, who presented the lunchtime show that followed Belfields each day. This appeared on the 4th but I've been a bit busy.Any way the news is as follows - a stalking protection order known as an SPO has been applied for and the courts have put aside 2 days to hear the case. 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. I know that you might be confused about how a man can leave his job at BBC and pick YouTube instead and if someone does prefer YouTube why not both? Breen says she and others flagged Belfields behaviour repeatedly but were told just not to look at the emails, or to delete them. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. Mr Justice Saini added: "You made communications which had serious impacts on the private lives of the complaints and had distressing effects on their physical and mental health.''. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Jeremy Vine not guilty to the charge on the indictment but guilty of the alternative charge of simple stalking (unanimous verdict). There are lessons to learn clearly and the toxic nature of online hate will only get worse for staff. Alex Belfield had no qualms about the abuse he handed out, in many cases publicly. Read More: Is Alex Belfield a Victim of Lawfare? 17/11/20 - 16:49 #24. The judge said Belfield had made wholly false allegations about Mr Vine stealing 1,000, had published his home address, and left Mr Vine so worried he had asked his family to watch out for you. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". It didnt work. I am offensive My human right allows me to speak words that are not to everyones taste, he told the jury. But Breen thought he would bring personality to the station. That the sentences were consecutive and not concurrent also surprised Chiffers. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 2. YouTubers have waded in with their views on "the Jimmy Savile of trolling" Alex Belfield after he was sentenced to more than five years in prison, and now plans to appeal. You can try refreshing the page, and if you're still having problems, just try again later. 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. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. On 16 September, popular YouTuber and journalist Alex Belfield, formerly of BBC Radio Leeds, was sentenced to five and half years in prison for four counts of online stalking. Green was having none of it: I went up to him and I said: You are a grade-A wanker. She stands by that description, but came to regret making an enemy of someone who turned out to be a herculean grudge-holder. And during the verdicts, he was emotionless, a total creep, and Belfield, during the trial, also made some very distressing and gratuitous allegations about his former colleagues.Nothing is sure until September 16 but chances are he might get a custodial sentence. Female BBC employees who were harassed online by former radio presenter Alex Belfield have accused the corporation of failing to help them. Each of them suffered serious mental health problems arising from Mr Belfields conduct, he said, imposing indefinite restraining orders preventing Belfield from contacting the women. Alex Belfield: Sentencing Remarks and Judgment The Black Belt Barrister explained in a video HERE how the judge reached Belfield's sentence. In relation to the women, the judge said: "Each of them suffered a campaign of harassment by email and social media communications. UK Jeremy Vine criticises social media giants after conclusion of . Celebrity Radio By Alex Belfield - Exclusive Celebrity Interviews and Travel & Theatre Reviews Exclusive Celebrity Interviews and Travel & Theatre Reviews LIVE From Bournemouth Backstage Interviews With David Essex @ Merrill Osmond BACK SOON Watch on LIVE From Bournemouth Backstage Interviews With David Essex @ Merrill Osmond BACK SOON Alex Belfield, a YouTuber and former local BBC radio host, has been found guilty of stalking four people including the broadcaster Jeremy Vine. All he had done, he suggested, was challenge people who had said things I believed to be untrue. It was on that channel that he first broadcast highly partisan court reports from his own trial, later posted to YouTube and still available to view, after persuading the judge that he was a journalist and should be given the same rights as the Nottingham Post. y 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. 14 . 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. "You made this highly successful and confident radio presenter lose all joy in life and turned him into a shell.". 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. Former BBC radio presenter Alex Belfield has been jailed for five and a half years. The BBC is conducting an internal review "to establish . September 23, 2022 7:00 am (Updated 2:10 pm) Breen and Green both think the BBC failed all four women who gave evidence against Belfield. But some of the complainants feel they never really got justice. That all stopped in February this year when YouTube suspended monetisation on Belfields Voice of Reason for violating its creator policy, after. "He now has developed the insight that he didn't have before," Mr Aubrey said. A former BBC radio presenter found guilty of stalking four people including broadcaster Jeremy Vine has been jailed for five and a half years. Vine said he had to take it seriously as Belfield had put his home address out. On 19 October, Leeds Live reported that the court of appeal had confirmed it had received an application from Belfield appealing for a lower jail term. 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. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Mark all read, Topic Icons: 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. I accept the evidence that Mr Belfield effectively followed these women by online harassment throughout their careers, said the judge. He's always been in hot water with the authorities. The relief was temporary. "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. 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. Liz Green not guilty The effect of these communications was to encourage the readers and viewers to form highly negative views of the complainants, often based on wholly false allegations by you. Because Belfield told his viewers to copy and share the videos, they will "always be out there", Vine said, adding "I've got to live with that". Book Now Blackpool Katie Hopkins NEW DATE! YouTube. 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". This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. He would invite viewers to send in fan mail not to any registered office but to his local pub, whose landlady he described as his receptionist. In 1999, he moved to Nairobi, Kenya to present 'Belfield at Breakfast' at 98.4 Capital FM. 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. "Stalking is a crime. The judge made restraining orders on the four victims: Bernard Spedding (also known as Bernie Keith), Ben Hewis, Philip Dehany and Jeremy Vine. It was on Friday, the fifth of August when Alex was found guilty of two counts of stalking that involved serious harm and distress and two other counts of simple stalking at the Nottingham Crown Court after a month-long trial. He posted videos and messages online about his victims and encouraged his followers to target them. See more on our Privacy page. He added there was no escape for Belfields victims, until bail conditions were imposed ahead of his trial. Belfield was jailed after being found guilty of stalking four victims online. They were exonerated. I was afraid because you have to think around corners with this stuff. 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 judge made restraining orders in relation to all of the complainants, including those Belfield was not convicted of stalking. Ms Breen tweeted that she was glad to finally have justice after 10 years. Alex Belfield Biography, Wiki, Birthday & Education. We're doing our best to get things working smoothly! The judge told Belfield he will serve half of his sentence in prison and the remainder on licence. I'm thrilled justice has been served & excited to move on with the rest of my life. When sentencing Belfield, Mr Justice Saini told him: 'Your offences are so serious, only a custodial sentence can be justified.'. Former BBC radio presenter Alex Belfield has been jailed for five and a half years. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Victims feared for their families and gave accounts to the jury of the terrible impact of Belfields abuse on their private lives.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. He was at the top of his game as a BBC radio star but the former BBC radio presenter could go to jail after being found guilty of stalking four broadcasters that includes Jeremy Vine.Could this be a grudge of some sort? Start fundraising now. Alex Belfield is an Entertainer and Broadcaster from Nottingham who has worked for over 80 radio stations in the UK and several around the world. When Alex Belfield was sent to prison for five and a half years last month for online stalking, his accusers cried with relief. Belfield also published Mr Vine's address to a "mass audience", the judge said. Breen left this summer to become editor-in-chief at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. As i promised i would bring you more news about the record breaking convicted stalker, alex belfield, who also has a staggering 8 lifetime restraining ordered against him.As you may know i have been keeping an eye open on the Nottinghamshire post who report such things. Alex Belfield, who now runs a YouTube channel, stalked his victims by harassing them online. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The optics arent good, says Breen. A wacky array of clothing Belfield arrives at court in August. For each of these charges he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, to run consecutively. He presents a YouTube channel called Voice of Reason, which has over 361,000 subscribers. "They take down individual videos and then when he's convicted, they demonetised him. Soon she terminated it altogether, after he tweeted something that suggested albeit in veiled terms that Green should be sent to Auschwitz, after his rival presenter fronted a highly praised documentary about the concentration camp. Both question why the corporation only really took the abuse seriously once a well-known man Vine was involved. Jurors at Nottingham crown court found. He bought his detached house in Mapperley, Nottingham, for 314,950 in October 2018, and it is mortgaged. Philip Dehany not guilty to the charge on the indictment but guilty of the alternative charge of simple stalking (majority verdict) After his first arrest, in June 2020, he started two crowdfunders to raise money to sue first the BBC and then Nottinghamshire police. Former BBC DJ jailed for stalking Jeremy Vine and others, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. But, according to The Guardian, under the current law, anyone can appeal to the attorney general, the governments main legal adviser, if they think someone has received too low a sentence. Would they ever truly be able to escape the man Vine described as an Olympic-level stalker? 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. In September 1997, he began his career as part of the launch team of Radio 106. He will be sentenced on the 16th of September. It doesnt mean only physically, it also includes online activity, emails and phone calls watching, spying or forcing contact with the victim through any means, including through social media.. 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). People are struggling already. Hot The case brought against Alex Belfield by two state organisations - BBC and Notts Police - is a step too far by the state. Alex Belfield sentenced to five and a half years in prison. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". I dont think that stuff even bothered him.. 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. Green says she is deeply disappointed that the BBC did not commission an independent inquiry. Let's talk about it.Hi guys, welcome to my channel. Alex Belfield, 42, subjected his colleague to a "wave of personal and unpleasant attacks" on Yo The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The judge said Belfield "bombarded" Mr Spedding - who had previously been friends with Belfield - with Facebook messages and emails, and made "highly abusive" YouTube videos containing false allegations. His appeal application was received one month after sentencing. Vine said Belfield had put out a video saying he was going to be back up and running. The Belfield Green knew at Radio Leeds in 2010 was difficult but he wasnt a table-thumping, immigrant-hating rightwing polemicist, she says. Well, he's not quite that, but I do admit, I watch his videos, which may not be a good thing at all. "And, you know, we've seen knife attacks on MPs, MPs being killed, people who are prominent being attacked. Radio Leeds mid-morning presenter Alex Belfield was reprimanded in December and suspended for a day for making "totally inappropriate" on-air remarks to Look North weather presenter Keeley . Solved The interview was filmed exclusively for Ustreme, which is owned by comedian Jim Davidson OBE, as part of a new series called 'Face To Face'. 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.. He made a video this morning, about Morbidly Obese Morgan, interviewing Matt Hancock, outside the BBC, Alex said there was such a lag, Susanna couldn't get a word in edgeways, and 3 producers were suicidal. 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', 250-home Nottinghamshire village plans recommended for approval, 3,000 Nottingham homes in food waste collection trial, Former drink-driverwho crashed in Bassetlaw claimed she had not been boozing, First NHS Hucknall for Health and Wellbeing event held in the town, Deliveroo driver faces drink-drive ban after one-minute trip to shops in Kirkby, Four men in court in Nottingham charged with people smuggling, Angry protests erupt over Greek rail disaster, How fake copyright complaints are muzzling journalists, 1894 shipwreck confirms tale of treacherous lifeboat. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. 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. Former BBC DJ Alex Belfield has been sentenced to more than five years in prison after being found guilty of stalking broadcasters, with his victims now reacting to the verdict.. Belfield, 42, was . Human right allows me to speak words that are not to look at the emails or!, '' he said stalked Jeremy Vine has continued posting videos on the 16th of.... Had said things i believed to be back up and running them, Mr... And, you know, we 've seen knife attacks on MPs, MPs being killed, people are... Knife attacks on MPs, MPs being killed, people who are prominent being attacked, in many publicly. 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