A former BBC radio DJ has been jailed for 5 years and 26 weeks after being convicted of 4 stalking prices againast broadcasters together with Jeremy Vine.
Alex Belfield, 42, was discovered responsible at a trial at Nottingham Crown Court final month of waging a relentless stalking marketing campaign, with Vine labelling him “the Jimmy Savile of trolling”.
Jurors accepted Belfield precipitated severe alarm or misery to 2 victims.
He was additionally discovered responsible of a lesser stalking cost in relation to Channel 5 and BBC Radio 2 presenter Vine and theatre blogger Philip Dehany.
BBC Radio Northampton presenter Bernie Keith was left feeling suicidal by a “tsunami of hate,” the trial heard.
Mr Vine described watching Belfield’s video output as like swimming in sewage.
“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,” he mentioned.
Mr Justice Saini, sentencing Belfield, mentioned: “Your offences are so serious, only a custodial sentence can be justified.”
He added a pre-sentence report confirmed whereas Belfield “fully acknowledges the distress to victims” it additionally “highlights you still appear to focus on the impact on you and feel in certain respects you’ve been unfairly treated”.
The decide instructed Belfield that whereas not “traditional stalking”, “your methods were just as effective a way of intimidating victims and in many ways much harder to deal with.”
He added there was “no escape” for his victims till bail circumstances had been imposed forward of his trial.
He additionally agreed with Mr Vine’s characterisation that the ex-DJ had “weaponised the internet” in opposition to these he focused.
Source: information.sky.com”