Belfield soon became obsessed with ruining Hewiss professional and personal life. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. 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. . The judge told Belfield he will serve up to half of his sentence in prison and the remainder on licence. Breen left this summer to become editor-in-chief at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. BBC Radio Northampton presenter Bernie Keith was left feeling suicidal by a "tsunami of hate", jurors heard. Breen says she and others flagged Belfields behaviour repeatedly but were told just not to look at the emails, or to delete them. After his first arrest, in June 2020, he started two crowdfunders to raise money to sue first the BBC and then Nottinghamshire police. 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. 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. 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. Belfield, a former BBC radio presenter turned YouTube free speech advocate, was deeply sorry for the hurt he had caused, said Aubrey, after Belfield was convicted of stalking Vine and three other men online. 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. "My initial reaction [to the stalking] was 'He's gone mad'," Mr Spedding told the trial. The verdicts in relation to each complainant were: Giving evidence to the trial, Mr Vine described Belfield's behaviour as "like an avalanche of hatred you get hit by", and "absolutely Olympic-level stalking, even for broadcasting". Green still works for the BBC but is trying to negotiate a settlement to leave. The 42-year-old was also found guilty of stalking BBC Radio Northampton presenter Bernie Keith and videographer Ben Hewis. Alex Belfield has been warned he could be jailed, Alex Belfield was found guilty of "simple" stalking in relation to BBC presenter Jeremy Vine, Alex Belfield was convicted of four offences at Nottingham Crown Court, Mr Belfield was previously a presenter at BBC Radio Leeds. 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. 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. Within hours, a video appeared on Belfields secret video channel, accessible to anyone willing to pay him a pound a week. 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. @decotheatre. Alex Belfield arriving for his trial at Nottingham Crown Court (Image: PA) An award-winning broadcaster has told a court she was devastated by a "completely transphobic" video posted online by an ex-BBC Radio DJ accused of stalking former colleagues and TV star Jeremy Vine. Others were their boss, Rozina Breen, and Ms Breen's boss Helen Thomas. Bernie Keith confirms he's mentally ill and in therapy March 2020. Unprovoked, anonymous, malicious email published by Ben Hewis Oct 1 2019. His subscriber count has dropped, but still stands at 354,000. Two days have been set aside to hear the application at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on March 7. 'I will never be able to work out why it has happened to me.'. 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. Finally, respite from what for some had been a decade of near-constant abuse. Copyright Celebrity Radio. You made communications which had serious impacts on the private lives of the complainants, with distressing effects on their mental and physical health. Green says she is deeply disappointed that the BBC did not commission an independent inquiry. Refuses to deny he wrote the email. A few weeks after he was sent to jail, most of the 7,000-plus videos Belfield posted on YouTube are still publicly accessible. = I;& 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. 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; Finally, respite from what for some had been a decade of near-constant abuse. 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. Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. BBC Radio Leeds presenter Liz Green, who was harassed for 10 years by Belfield. alex belfield wife name. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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. Alex Belfield is currently in prison after being convicted of stalking four men, Belfield made videos throughout his trial and posted them on YouTube. FORMER BBC radio presenter, Alex Belfield, has been jailed for five and a half years. But some of the complainants feel they never really got justice. The effect on Keiths life was profound. 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. One of the BBC targets was Bernie Keith, a veteran presenter at BBC Radio Northampton who was once Belfields friend. He also agreed with Mr Vines characterisation that the ex-DJ had weaponised the internet against those he targeted. There are lessons to learn clearly and the toxic nature of online hate will only get worse for staff. 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. Alex Belfield, a former BBC presenter, appears at Nottingham Crown Court, on 12 counts of stalking on July 29, 2021. Unable to work and claiming to be on 86-a-week universal credit when the theatres shut, Belfield reinvented himself as a rightwing shockjock. American mom living in Paris mesmerizes internet after revealing the VERY surprising after-school snack kids eat in France. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? We have begged the BBC to resolve this quietly and privately. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Start the ball rolling by posting a comment on this article! Christmas is always Belfield's busiest time of the year. During the trial, Mr Keith told the court he was left feeling suicidal by a tsunami of hate from Alex Belfield. 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. After stopping the counselling after three sessions Mr Keith said he also spoke to a specialist who helped stalking victims. Ben Hewis refuses to engage with the police and hand over the email. Fans, largely older women, were often in the public gallery to show support. You are entitled to hold and express views but you are not entitled to destroy the personal lives of your victims through online harassment.. In September 1997, he began his career as part of the launch team of Radio 106. Ben Hewis is perverting the course of justice. I pleaded with him [Belfield] to stop. Read about our approach to external linking. YouTuber Alex Belfield is planning to appeal against his prison sentence for stalking four men online. The judge made restraining orders on the four victims: Bernard Spedding (also known as Bernie Keith), Ben Hewis, Philip Dehany and Jeremy Vine. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Breen sacked him on the spot, but agreed to honour the last two months of his contract. Vine said it is very, very important that the BBC learn lessons from what happened to the women at BBC Leeds. Belfield had denied stalking the 57-year-old, and seven other alleged victims, claiming he was the subject of a witch hunt. 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. Mr Vine also gave evidence against Belfield during the trial, as he said: "This . Instead of a lawyer, he was often accompanied by James Brandon, a member of the old-school comedy duo the Grumbleweeds. To those who had been monitoring Belfields output for the past few years, it was no surprise that he wanted the final word. "You made this highly successful and confident radio presenter lose all joy in life and turned him into a shell.". I couldn't destroy the gift of life that they (his parents) gave me.'. %%EOF 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. 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. 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. He warned him he could then be recalled to prison if he commits a further offence. Mr Justice Saini had sentenced Belfield to two-and-a-half years for stalking one of the complainants, Bernie Keith. "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. 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. Bernard Spedding ignored every single correspondence. I can tell you now their proposed review will not claim responsibility nor say sorry. 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. Neither had ever met him. When Alex Belfield was sent to prison for five and a half years last month for online stalking, his accusers cried with relief. The Guardian asked Bridgen if he regretted supporting Belfield and did not receive a response. Hopkins believes he will be back, his ego bigger than ever after honing his act in front of a literally captive audience. Alex Belfield repeatedly posted abusive social media messages after his BBC contract wasn't renewed (Picture: PA) . Breen and Green both think the BBC failed all four women who gave evidence against Belfield. Rozina Breen, the corporation's former Head of North, told . 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 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. Ben Hewis refuses to engage with the police and hand over the email. Some feel he was given too much power in his own trial. The author identified himself in the screen-grab published by Hewis. 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 .
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