A few months in, alarm bells started to ring, remembers Liz Green, who presented the lunchtime show that followed Belfields each day. 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 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. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Read about our approach to external linking. UK Jeremy Vine criticises social media giants after conclusion of . The fact we were left unsupported from the acts of someone regarded as a prolific, now convicted, stalker is problematic. 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. 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. 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. Closed, Copyright 2023 Alex Belfield - The Voice of Reason. Belfield has worked for over 80 radio stations in the UK. We were the learning curve for Belfield. In September 1997, he began his career as part of the launch team of Radio 106. A FORMER BBC DJ who stalked Jeremy Vine in a "relentless" campaign has today been jailed. A wacky array of clothing Belfield arrives at court in August. Presenter Iain Lee has since come out to say Belfield targeted him for many years, but that he was too frightened to go to court to give evidence. Green says she is deeply disappointed that the BBC did not commission an independent inquiry. Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now. But some of the complainants feel they never really got justice. I accept that in certain limited respects you were acting as a form of media commentator in stating views on matters of public interest when you made some of your communications. Alex Belfield was sentenced to five and a half years last week, after being found guilty of stalking four people. 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? 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. In. Alex Belfield, 42, subjected his colleague to a "wave of personal and unpleasant attacks" on Yo He presents a YouTube channel called Voice of Reason, which has over 361,000 subscribers. I am not imposing sentences on you because you made comments about the BBC or about matters of public interest. Thats when Rozina Breen, then the managing editor at BBC Radio Leeds, decided to take what she thought was a calculated chance. 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. By Profession, he is a British radio presenter, journalist, and entertainer. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Four women, past and previous BBC DJs and executives, had also accused Belfield of stalking them via email and social media, but the jury found him not guilty on those charges. Private Jurors were told that Mr Belfield. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Picture date: Thursday August 4, 2022. Each of them suffered serious mental health problems arising from Mr Belfield's conduct.". 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 Belfield and Katie Hopkins in a video on her YouTube channel, advertising the show they did together. 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. Vine told Newsnight he thought if the courts had not stopped Belfield "somebody would have died". Petition goal: The release of Alex Belfield from Prison. Ben Hewis is a videographer who works in the theatre and wedding industries and Philip Dehany was a rival theatre blogger. He added while there were now restraining orders in eight people's cases he thought the one thing you could do was "deprive people of their platform". You did not meet or physically approach or watch any of your victims as a traditional stalker might have done Your stalking consisted of use of repeated email communications, social media content on Twitter, and creation and publication of YouTube videos on your channel The Voice of Reason in which you commented in highly negative and often abusive terms about the complainants. Related posts: Bernie Clifton Vegas Interview 2018 Keith Elliot Greenberg Interview - The Day John Lennon Died Keith Chegwin Exclusive 2015 Interview Celebrity Big Brother. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. 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. Our fears and anxiety were downplayed. Helen Thomas, now director of BBC England, told the jury that she was told to man up by a BBC boss when she complained about Belfields behaviour. ALEX BELFIELD _____ SENTENCING REMARKS AND JUDGMENT ON THE CROWN'S APPLICATION UNDER SECTION 5A OF THE PROTECTION FROM HARASSMENT ACT 1997 _____ The Honourable Mr Justice Saini: 1. 1894 shipwreck confirms tale of treacherous lifeboat. 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. Today Alex Belfield has been sentenced to 5 years 26 weeks in prison for his stalking myself and 7 others. One of the BBC targets was Bernie Keith, a veteran presenter at BBC Radio Northampton who was once Belfields friend. He realised what he could do and did it with impunity. Something went wrong, please try again later. Alex Belfield was found guilty of "simple" stalking in relation to BBC presenter Jeremy Vine. That he was allowed to play court reporter upset many complainants, particularly as Belfield decided not to give evidence under oath. Hot A former local BBC radio host has been found guilty of stalking four people including television and radio broadcaster . But half the videos about me are still out there," he said. The optics arent good, says Breen. If that way was via abuse, then that was certainly effective in being part of your story. Another BBC radio presenter, a transgender woman called Stephanie Hirst, became Belfields next target after refusing him an interview after her transition. "But the fact that YouTube hosts this stuff, they have no responsibility. Former BBC radio presenter Alex Belfield has been jailed for five and a half years. 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". 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. Though the BBC knew Belfield was spreading lies about them in public, at no point did anyone from the BBC refute the allegations, she says. The judge did stop him from interrogating complainants, appointing David Aubrey as a proxy advocate. For just over three minutes, the 42-year-old delivered a monologue in which he said he was in prison for simply defending himself. Focusing on news of the world. Our community guidelines prohibit content that threatens individuals and we have removed several videos for violating these policies.. The Black Belt Barrister explains in the video below. This case fails CPS criteria by a mile as well as both BBC and police codes of conduct.It was a conspiracy (more than one party acting together) to transgress human rights. For anyone interested in what I was subjected to, below is my victim personal statement: Ben Hewis (@benhewis) September 16, 2022. Uploaded by Alex Belfield at Celebrity Radio 13th March 2020. The extent of his abusive behavior provided clear evidence that this conduct was stalking.This was such a bad case of stalking that Jimmy Vine, the presenter of BBC Radio 2 and Channel 5 wept in court.He went on to say that Alex trolled over the death of his father and Alex's stalking made him lose sleep and he was scared that Alex might do something to his family.If I see his channel description, there it says it is a channel that offers daily news and topical content and also he adds \"no hate\" to it with Frank's mass debate and words like real and honest.I don't think honest people stalk other people. In court, he claimed to have nine employees, but who they are remains a mystery. 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 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. Giving evidence in court, Vine said: I have in the past had a physical stalker who followed me. His actions have caused serious alarm and distress among his victims mainly Bernie Keith and videographer Ben Hirst and he is not stopping there. "The Jimmy Savile of trolling" Alex Belfield, a former BBC radio presenter and vlogger, has had his bid for leave to appeal refused by a single judge. I mean the dude is on to them with all his journalist skills and some shady stuff. Video1894 shipwreck confirms tale of treacherous lifeboat, How 10% of Nigerian registered voters delivered victory, Sake brewers toast big rise in global sales, The Indian-American CEO who wants to be US president, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, Exploring the rigging claims in Nigeria's elections, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip. 04/12/2022. Stalker Alex Belfield has shelled out '300,000 already' on his legal case YouTube still hosts convicted stalker Alex Belfield's videos Ex-BBC DJ Alex Belfield accused of stalking tells. "I've got two teenage daughters, you know, I can't be casual about it. Its like an avalanche of hatred that you get hit by., Vine didnt think he had ever even met Belfield, but another former BBC radio presenter, James Hazell, remembers Vine delivering a masterclass to local BBC presenters in 2010. This is what Sheryl Monk, a district crown prosecutor has to say \"Stalking is a very serious crime that has a severe impact on its victims. The judge who sentenced Jeremy Vine's stalker to five and a half years in prison made a mistake and could have given Alex Belfield a higher sentence, one of the UK government's most senior . Who is Alex Belfield and why has he been jailed? He has also been convicted of stalking Bernie Keith and videographer Ben Hewis. Breen says she and others flagged Belfields behaviour repeatedly but were told just not to look at the emails, or to delete them. It was a risk. The 42-year-old, from Nottingham, is due to be sentenced on 16 September and has been warned he could be jailed. Bernard Spedding guilty (majority verdict) Asked about the behaviour of social media giants YouTube and Twitter during the ordeal, Vine said he had been "amazed" how difficult it was to get YouTube to take action. 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. Some feel he was given too much power in his own trial. Belfield is, I'm fairly sure, a working class Tory. He bombarded presenters, editors and other colleagues . Alex Belfield, 42, is accused of stalking eight members of BBC staff after bosses failed to renew his contract at BBC Radio Leeds in 2011. A former BBC radio presenter has received a five-year jailed sentence after being found guilty for stalking four people, including . Why does he have to make things harder?This \"ferocious and relentless abuse\" that's what they said, is causing emotional and mental harm to your fellow ex-colleagues. Alex Belfield: Sentencing Remarks and Judgment. 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. Book Now Blackpool Katie Hopkins NEW DATE! He added there was no escape for Belfields victims, until bail conditions were imposed ahead of his trial. Alas, Alex Belfield has been found guilty of the relentless stalking of other broadcasters, including Jeremy Vine, who he subjected to an "avalanche of hatred". "He now has developed the insight that he didn't have before," Mr Aubrey said. Instead of a lawyer, he was often accompanied by James Brandon, a member of the old-school comedy duo the Grumbleweeds. He bought his detached house in Mapperley, Nottingham, for 314,950 in October 2018, and it is mortgaged. Belfield went on to claim online fame through YouTube amassing a large listener audience for his right-wing views of current social issues. That is a picnic compared to this guy. 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. "He had no escape from you," the judge told Belfield. Unread Posts. His trial heard he made YouTube videos about them, posted messages on social media, sent emails, and. August 6, 2022 5:23am. "Blocking was also a futile exercise as Belfield continued to seek out new ways to get to me when others failed. I live in fear and I have done for a long time, she says. He also agreed with Mr Vines characterisation that the ex-DJ had weaponised the internet against those he targeted. 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 effect on Keiths life was profound. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The sentencing judge, Mr Justice Saini, told Belfield one of his victims had been "seconds away from taking his own life as a result of your conduct". Alex Belfield is a Broadcaster, Musician, Comedian and Entertainer from Nottingham. - 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. 4/73 Campsie Street, Campsie, NSW 2194 Apartment. Im clearly of more risk to this country than a man who is attracted to children, he deadpanned. The verdicts in relation to each complainant, in the order they appeared on the indictment, were: In mitigation, barrister David Aubrey KC said Belfield had not intended to cause his victims distress, but could now see that he had. | A GOOD DEATH | Ickonic A Right To Know - David Icke Interview - Part One. 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 YouTube subscribers or in bitter emails to their bosses or clients. After his first arrest, in June 2020, he started two crowdfunders to raise money to sue first the BBC and then Nottinghamshire police. 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. It comes . All Rights Reserved. "They take down individual videos and then when he's convicted, they demonetised him. For each of these charges, he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, to run consecutively. Vine told BBC Two's Newsnight social media firms "don't care" about hosting such material, leaving him "broken". Former BBC . From 14 he was working on air and on stage. Green still works for the BBC but is trying to negotiate a settlement to leave. Helen Thomas not guilty There are lessons to learn clearly and the toxic nature of online hate will only get worse for staff. , appointing David Aubrey as a proxy advocate Hirst and he is a British radio presenter a! 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