He realised what he could do and did it with impunity. A security company had also been brought in to collect him from the radio station's car park, Mr Keith said. Neither had ever met him. Read about our approach to external linking. Asked why it had not banned Belfield from its platform following his conviction, YouTube did not respond. 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 person to be protected does not have to have been the victim of the acts mentioned above. Here's Celebrity Radio's BBC Bernie Keith & Ben Hewis STATEMENTFull statement on legal action & police inquiry - BBC Bernie Keith / Bernard Spedding & Ben Hewis. 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. BBC Radio Northampton presenter Bernie Keith was left feeling suicidal by a "tsunami of hate", jurors heard. Copyright Celebrity Radio. 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The optics arent good, says Breen. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Bernie Keith BBC Radio Northampton from Alex Belfield on Vimeo. The court heard the original application was amended to add two more people who did not form part of the criminal trial. 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. The judge referred to the victims graphic and distressing evidence in court about the impact of Belfields campaign of harassment, and how he had been just seconds away from dying by suicide. 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? \Mb+r'rS~(aU\voP GCK16X0v04p62h,3 0b``f:(x3j=)\-u`IL! The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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 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. Hewis encouraged an entire industry to block me.over lies he endorsed! For each of these charges he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, to run consecutively. Port Vale F.C. It was lockdown that offered Belfield an opportunity to make some proper money. Start the ball rolling by posting a comment on this article! YouTuber Alex Belfield is planning to appeal against his prison sentence for stalking four men online. Each of them suffered a campaign of harassment by email and social media communications. The stalking of Mr Keith caused him serious alarm or distress. A BBC radio host has revealed that alleged stalking by an ex-staff member left him contemplating suicide. Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. 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! >? = 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. 1. 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. 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 . He warned him he could then be recalled to prison if he commits a further offence. Belfield was found not guilty of stalking Rozina Breen, Liz Green, Helen Thomas and Stephanie Hirst. In relation to the women, the judge said: "Each of them suffered a campaign of harassment by email and social media communications. Online stalkers like you have an ability to recruit an army of followers whose conduct massively expands the effect of your stalking, he said. 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. 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. He was convicted Friday, August 5, 2022, on four counts of stalking. Belfield has worked for over 80 radio stations in the UK. Find Alex Belfield's email address, contact information, LinkedIn, Twitter, other social media and more. 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. Yet, he remains unstable and on air at the BBC. Ben Hewis refuses to communicate with Nottingham Police. . "He had to ask his family to watch out for you and to take care in and around their home address.". Stalking Bernard Spedding (known as Bernie Keith) between 25 November 2012 and 2 April 2017, and between 3 April 2017 and 31 March 2021. . The judge made restraining orders in relation to all of the complainants, including those Belfield was not convicted of stalking. Remorseless Belfield videos himself as he arrives at court in July. 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). The judge did stop him from interrogating complainants, appointing David Aubrey as a proxy advocate. 562 0 obj <> endobj You are entitled to hold and express views but you are not entitled to destroy the personal lives of your victims through online harassment.. A wacky array of clothing Belfield arrives at court in August. The judge told Belfield he will serve up to half of his sentence in prison and the remainder on licence. 2023 BBC. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. 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. %%EOF I had gone to the police to make it stop and it was just getting worse. Belfield clearly resented being there, recalls Hazell He was sulking and had a face like thunder. 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.". "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. 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 . 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. 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. Belfield was jailed after being found guilty of stalking four victims online. 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". 01604 491005. 2023 BBC. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. His last company, Champagne Sippers, incorporated in December 2020, has never filed company accounts. 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. 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". "I had this naked hate being piled on me every day and I had to be funny and I had to entertain people," he said. The fact we were asked to ignore potentially criminal evidence is an issue. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. 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This resulted in my reputation destroyed in the eyes of peers who blocked me. @decotheatre. Alex Belfield was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in behind bars (Image: PA) A civil stalking order is being pursued at the magistrates' court against former BBC DJ Alex . 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. Belfield soon became obsessed with ruining Hewiss professional and personal life. Each of them suffered serious mental health problems arising from Mr Belfield's conduct.". endstream endobj 566 0 obj <>stream "You made this highly successful and confident radio presenter lose all joy in life and turned him into a shell.". 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. 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. The day he was found guilty he was wearing a Bermuda shirt and shorts. 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. 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. 'My reputation is now in shreds because all of this has been seen throughout my industry and the wider population. 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. Horrific, vicious, cowardly.". She has asked the BBC to commission an independent investigation into what happened. As well as jailing Belfield, Mr Justice Saini issued indefinite restraining orders banning the DJ from contacting his victims. 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. Here's Celebrity Radio's BBC Bernie Keith & Ben Hewis STATEMENTFull statement on legal action & police inquiry - BBC Bernie Keith / Bernard Spedding & Ben Hewis . Belfield looked pale as he was led down to the cells as more than 20 of his supporters watched silently from the public gallery. 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. 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. Then began a 10-year campaign of harassment against both Breen and Green, as well as Helen Thomas, Breens line manager, who was head of regional and local programming for Yorkshire. 'I can't remember when I have had a run of good sleep of longer than five hours. UPDATE. "This was the darkest point of my life because there was no end to it. Your email address will not be published. Instead of a lawyer, he was often accompanied by James Brandon, a member of the old-school comedy duo the Grumbleweeds. FORMER BBC radio presenter, Alex Belfield, has been jailed for five and a half years. Regardless, the judge clearly considered him a threat. Articles by Alex Belfield on Muck Rack. Belfield currently hosts the Voice of Reason YouTube channel, which has over 372,000 subscribers. Heres Celebrity Radios BBC Bernie Keith & Ben Hewis STATEMENT. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Breen and Green both think the BBC failed all four women who gave evidence against Belfield. Mr Vine gave evidence against Belfield, of Mapperley, Nottingham, telling jurors: This is not a regular troll here. 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 bought his detached house in Mapperley, Nottingham, for 314,950 in October 2018, and it is mortgaged. I NEED YOUR HELP TO GET JUSTICE. Alex Belfield, a former BBC presenter, appears at Nottingham Crown Court, on 12 counts of stalking on July 29, 2021. Video, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims, US-made cheese can be called 'gruyere' - court, AOC under investigation for Met Gala dress, The children left behind in Cuba's exodus, Alex Murdaugh's legal troubles are far from over, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dies at 61, Walkie Talkie architect Rafael Violy dies aged 78, Sonic boom heard as RAF Typhoon jets escort plane, Nelson's 97th-minute stunner gives Arsenal victory. It was classic Belfield. and BBC Radio Northampton's Bernie Keith. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk. That he was allowed to play court reporter upset many complainants, particularly as Belfield decided not to give evidence under oath. 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). while Mr Keith said the . He will be even more unbearable, she said in an Instagram video, with a twinkle in her eye that suggested she can hardly wait. The optics arent good former managing editor at BBC Radio Leeds Rozina Breen. Breen and Green both think the BBC failed all four women who gave evidence against Belfield. 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. "Alex Belfield had no qualms about the abuse he handed out, in many cases publicly.". . UPDATE. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. 'In April last year I collapsed at my home and had to be taken to hospital. 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. That is a picnic compared to this guy. 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'. 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 Bernie Keith confirms he's mentally ill and in therapy March 2020. Between 2004 and 2010, he appeared on radio stations, including Mercia FM, Touch FM, BBC Bristol, BBC Radio Shropshire and BBC Hereford and Worcester. 'The counselling didn't work for me - I had never had counselling before and I found it very difficult, very alien.'. He had never gone near anyone, he insisted, and was not accused of threatening any violence. Others were their boss, Rozina Breen, and Ms Breen's boss Helen Thomas. 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. Green says she is deeply disappointed that the BBC did not commission an independent inquiry. The judge said that while Belfield did not physically approach or watch his victims, the effects were just as damaging. American mom living in Paris mesmerizes internet after revealing the VERY surprising after-school snack kids eat in France. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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'. 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. 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. His subscriber count has dropped, but still stands at 354,000. 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'. Member of the public 'donates' hand grenade to D-Day museum Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. After 6 months the BBC REFUSE to defend Bernie Keith and deny he sent it after 100+ emails. Breen left this summer to become editor-in-chief at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. The judge, Mr Justice Saini, granted Belfield bail and told him to return to Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing next month. It came following a trial at Nottingham Crown Court, during which the . All Rights Reserved. Then in June 2020, Katie Hopkins was permanently banned from Twitter, opening up a gap in the market for anti-woke, anti-immigrant polemics with an English accent. I will refer to him by that name. Former BBC local radio DJ Alex Belfield has been found guilty of four . He soon made it to the top of Belfields hitlist, featuring regularly as a hate figure in his videos and social media posts. December is a busy month. 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 police are advised to consider applying for an order where it appears to them that: Belfield was jailed last September after he was found guilty of waging a relentless stalking campaign against BBC Radio Northampton's Bernie Keith, and subjecting TV presenter Jeremy Vine to an "avalanche of hatred" - but has since lodged an appeal. 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. 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. I AM A VICTIM OF A CRIME. BBC Radio Northampton DJ Bernie Keith told the court he was left feeling suicidal by a tsunami of hate. 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. Prosecutors allege that Alex Belfield caused alarm and distress to eight victims after his contract with BBC Radio Leeds was not renewed in 2011. . 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. Ms Breen tweeted that she was glad to finally have justice after 10 years. In court, he claimed to have nine employees, but who they are remains a mystery. Feb 8. . Similar orders in favour of four other individuals the BBCs former head of the north Rozina Breen, former BBC Radio Leeds presenters Liz Green and Stephanie Hirst, and BBC executive Helen Thomas were also made. If that way was via abuse, then that was certainly effective in being part of your story. 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 . 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. Belfield showed no emotion and wrote on a piece of paper as verdicts were delivered. 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. At first, he grew his audience with silly sketches and phone-ins, railing against government Covid policy, particularly the ban on care-home visits. 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. Thats a word I have never heard We four were left to suffer and are suffering still, she says. 'You can't work out how it's happened. Alex Belfield is convicted of stalking four people online but cleared of stalking four others. 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. 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. 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. 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. On Count 5 you were convicted of stalking Mr Bernard Spedding - known professionally as Bernie Keith. Radio Presenter Age And Net Worth. In September 1997, he began his career as part of the launch team of Radio 106. 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. The jurors accepted Belfield caused serious alarm or distress to two victims - the BBC Radio Northampton presenter Bernie Keith . A former BBC radio presenter found guilty of stalking four people including broadcaster Jeremy Vine has been jailed for five and a half years. 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. Mr Justice Saini said Belfield's campaign of harassment had left Mr Keith just seconds away from dying by suicide. How many people signed up for 1 a week is unclear, though some live streams attracted barely 300 viewers. 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 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Ben Hewis refuses to engage with the police and hand over the email. dragonfly covid testing nyc. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. Read about our approach to external linking. Hazell is one of numerous others who now say Belfield trolled them. During the trial, Mr Keith told the court he was left feeling suicidal by a tsunami of hate from Alex Belfield. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Keith tried in vain to get YouTube to remove all of the libellous videos, even turning up at the social networks HQ to beg it in person.