Watkinson denied that any of the offences had happened and claimed his accusers were making them up. Today at 1:44 AM. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Alex Belfield Nottingham Crown Court trial: Ex-BBC DJ tells jury of Mr Belfield told the jurors that the BBC was trying to "shut me up" because he had been saying things that were "inconvenient truths". The prosecution said the YouTuber's stalking was more akin to 'internet trolling' than physical stalking, sending emails, tweets or making videos and subjecting victims to harassment and abuse - some of them over the course of many years. 2023 BBC. "The prosecution say that what Mr Belfield did went beyond any reasonable exercise of free speech rights.". 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.". "He cried at one point, which I am sorry about. "What possible reason could Jeremy Vine have said this in front of you other than to destroy me and get the headline of the century, which he did?" Read about our approach to external linking. He said that a witch-hunt against him had been orchestrated by the BBC in collusion with Nottinghamshire Police. Alex Belfield, who now runs a YouTube channel, stalked his victims by harassing them online. She said: Watkinson was responsible for a horrendous and calculating catalogue of offences that would have gone unpunished without the bravery of his victims, who showed remarkable courage and stoicism in explaining so clearly what Watkinson had put them through all those years ago. Mr Belfield also criticised Mr Vine for describing him in court as "the Jimmy Savile of trolling". Alex Belfield: Former BBC presenter 'stalked fellow broadcasters' "[8] The judge noted that while Belfield acknowledged the distress he caused the victims, he showed more concern during the proceedings about being treated unfairly and how the process impacted him (Belfield) personally. "As a whisteblower of the BBC, I was there for 15 years and I saw where the bodies are buried, if you like, and I saw where they waste money.". Two days have been set aside to hear the application at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on March 7. "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.". You will be treated with dignity and sensitivity and we will do everything we can to support you.. Each of them suffered serious mental health problems arising from Mr Belfield's conduct," he said. Belfield, who previously presented a show for BBC Radio Leeds, was labelled the Jimmy Savile of trolling and he subjected TV presenter Jeremy Vine to an "avalanche of hatred". See more of Alex Belfield - The Voice Of Reason Live on Facebook. Each of them suffered serious mental health problems arising from Mr Belfield's conduct.". "In some cases this has extended to death threats," he said. He said he had been raising issues on air, in his role as a journalist, "for the right reasons". Mr Belfield was arrested on March 27 after he was blamed for an alleged bomb hoax at the BBC. This is what Belfield did again and again to multiple people over many years. He now runs a YouTube channel called The Voice of Reason, but he told jurors he had previously worked for the BBC for 15 years. or. Mr Belfield is accused of stalking by sending emails, making YouTube videos and. This is people driven into mental health breakdowns with no support, by an employer that obviously didn't care.". This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. 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. Nottingham Police New Boss @carolinenotts SACKS Deputy . The former BBC radio presenter, of Mapperley, can be seen smirking in his police mugshot after. 'Calculating' paedophile who targeted young girls over two decades Alex Belfield, 42, from Nottingham, claims the BBC and police colluded in order to get him arrested. However, as this case makes clear, stalking can also take other more invasive forms. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. rd Spedding (Bernie Keith) Witness: 'I feared he'd through acid over me' Spedding admits sending email to 'shit him down' (AB) 'I shouldn't have said it' . Alex Belfield has been warned he could be jailed A former BBC radio presenter has been found guilty of stalking four people including broadcaster Jeremy Vine. May Bank Holiday supermarket opening times for Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Tesco and more, Leeds United considering major decision in Nottingham Forest relegation fight. The judge said one of his victims came close to killing himself. The term again is two-and-half years; Count 7: Theatre blogger Philip Dehany, not guilty to stalking to cause alarm and distress but guilty to simple stalking - Belfield received a consecutive sentence of 13 weeks. "For him to associate me with Jimmy Savile is unthinkable.". "Can you imagine if this happened to Piers Morgan, or to Nick Ferrari, or to Kay Burley, or if this happened to Graham Norton or to anyone at the BBC?" Ms Breen tweeted that she was glad to finally have justice after 10 years. INRAE center Lyon-Grenoble Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes . After a campaign of harassment against multiple victims, Alex Belfield was jailed last week. Nobody wants to be caught out.". READ MORE:Nottingham man Alex Belfield appears in court on harassment charges. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. According to the agreed facts, there was an internal BBC investigation in relation to correspondence Ms Green received from Mr Belfield. A calculating paedophile who sexually abused young girls over the space of two decades has been jailed for 25 years. "We are going to start with this group who took action against this man and we may find there are other people in the BBC that were treated in this way and left with no support. But when questioned by police, Belfield told them he was the subject of a witch hunt, a thorn in the BBC's side and that he was not guilty of any of the allegations against him. Count 8: Jeremy Vine, not guilty to stalking to cause alarm and distress but guilty to simply stalking - Belfield has been sentenced to 13 weeks consecutively for stalking Mr Vine. VideoThe secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, LGBT troops take love for Eurovision to front line, Why an Indian comedian is challenging fake news rules. The arrest on Thursday is not the first time Mr. Located in a very diverse region rich in assets, not only geographically (relief, climate), but also economic and human, the Lyon-Grenoble Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes is the latest INRAE centre to be created. The court heard the original application was amended to add two more people who did not form part of the criminal trial. Anjali a 5 postes sur son profil. The judge made restraining orders on the four victims. READ MORE:Jeremy Vine suffered 'Olympic level' stalking by former radio presenter Alex Belfield, court hears. "The stalking you committed was not the conventional type which is popularised in the press," he said. He told jurors he had been arrested five times, strip-searched in order to "humiliate" him, and his house had been "raided" three times by Nottinghamshire Police. "He thought of the most evil, awful person in media history and compared me to him. Victim personal statements were not read out in court, but Mr Hewis tweeted his after the sentencing. Something went wrong, please try again later. It's never rains . Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. Mr Vine had told the court that one of Mr Belfield's followers posted something under a tribute he posted to his late father on Facebook, saying: "What would your father have said if he had known his son was a thieving toe-rag? Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, Explosion derails train in Russian border region, Banana artwork in Seoul museum eaten by visitor, Trump says 'great to be home' on visit to Scotland, NFL player's daughter, aged two, drowns in pool, Father tells how gunman opened fire on Texas home, Trevelyan relative 'would consider' famine payment, JP Morgan snaps up troubled US bank First Republic. The 42-year-old Belfield represented himself during the trial but declined to give evidence in his defence. "Can you imagine having your freedom taken away, being strip-searched, and the humiliation of having Nottingham police sent to your home three times by the BBC?". The judge said he agreed with some of the witnesses in the case, who said Belfield had "weaponised the internet". "He said he could see their distress in court and feels deeply sorry for what he did.". Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? "Each of them [the complainants] suffered a campaign of harassment by email and social media communications. "We want an independent inquiry to look at what the BBC did or didn't do for this group of really excellent employees," he said. The former BBC radio presenter, of Mapperley, can be seen smirking in his police mugshot after targeting former colleagues, a well-known celebrity, and two other men online. CONFIRMED DC Janet Percival Is A Corrupt Liar . The judge made restraining orders on the four victims: Bernard Spedding (also known as Bernie Keith), Ben Hewis, Philip Dehany and Jeremy Vine. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Mr Belfield criticised Jeremy Vine's evidence, which he described as "the cleverest razzle dazzle I've ever seen". Horrific, vicious, cowardly.". 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. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Belfield had previously objected to this hateful conduct, but, following a trial at Nottingham Crown Court, he was convicted of four counts of stalking. . 2023 BBC. TV is dead long live Alex. Alex Belfield, 42, from Nottingham, claims the BBC and police colluded in order to get him arrested. 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 Belfield, from. She added: "He very deliberately set out to make other peoples lives a misery causing them very genuine fear, alarm and distress. "Stalking is a crime. Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, asked the BBC for an independent review or investigation, Explosion derails train in Russian border region, Banana artwork in Seoul museum eaten by visitor, Trump says 'great to be home' on visit to Scotland, NFL player's daughter, aged two, drowns in pool, Father tells how gunman opened fire on Texas home, Trevelyan relative 'would consider' famine payment, JP Morgan snaps up troubled US bank First Republic. See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive. Belfield's career began as an entertainer in Nottingham at the age of 14. Along with the five-and-a-half-year sentence given to Belfield last month, restraining orders were also put in place to protect four women he had targeted. However, the women Belfield harassed have asked the BBC for an independent review or investigation. The message was in reference to 1,000 which the BBC donated to a memorial fund for a radio executive who had been friends with Mr Vine, and Mr Belfield publicly accused Mr Vine of "stealing" the money. I am grateful to the many other officers and our partners at the Crown Prosecution Service for all the work they have put into this case. Tyrant Alex Belfield: Guilty of Stalking- Sentenced to 5 Years In In relation to Jeremy Vine and theatre blogger Philip Dehany, Belfield was found guilty of two lesser offences of "simple" stalking, which does not require serious alarm or distress to be proved. 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. Alex Belfield latest: who is the Voice of Reason YouTuber - and what he The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. Alex Belfield was convicted of four charges following a trial at Nottingham Crown Court A former BBC radio presenter found guilty of stalking four people including broadcaster Jeremy Vine has. She has had to develop coping mechanisms to ensure that she suffers no more emotional harm.". VideoThe secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, LGBT troops take love for Eurovision to front line, Why an Indian comedian is challenging fake news rules. He said his broadcast equipment was seized by police officers, which he believed was done in an attempt to "silence" him. Read about our approach to external linking. She was asked by David Aubrey QC, a court-appointed defence advocate on Tuesday: "Did you regard that as being a parody?". He was convicted of stalking charges in September 2022 and imprisoned. Man dies in serious crash that closed road for hours, Almost 1,000 damage caused to car in eight months on town centre road, "There are always cars parked without permits which leads to a severe lack of parking and an extremely busy street". Stay at this 4-star boutique hotel in Grenoble. I've been suicidal. Belfield, who is 42 and from Nottingham, was originally charged with stalking eight different people, who were mostly current or former BBC staff. During the arrest, the police smashed down his front door, confiscated all his equipment, dismantled his car, strip searched him and searched his home for four and a half hours. However, Alex Belfield was. Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, Explosion derails train in Russian border region, Banana artwork in Seoul museum eaten by visitor, Trump says 'great to be home' on visit to Scotland, NFL player's daughter, aged two, drowns in pool, Father tells how gunman opened fire on Texas home, Trevelyan relative 'would consider' famine payment, JP Morgan snaps up troubled US bank First Republic. His YouTube channel remains live. She says his abuse was ferocious and relentless. Our guests praise the helpful staff and the comfy rooms . The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. "The longest periods of abuse were suffered by Ms Breen, Ms Thomas and Ms Green. 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. Man dies in serious crash that closed road for hours, Almost 1,000 damage caused to car in eight months on town centre road, "There are always cars parked without permits which leads to a severe lack of parking and an extremely busy street". According to the letter, Mr Belfield is currently engaged in a civil dispute with individuals in the broadcaster who he is suing for defamation. Thomas Watkinson, 60, was arrested in 2019 after a number of historic allegations were made against him. The full wording of the charges states that he "pursued a course of conduct that amounted to harassment" of the complainants, which caused them "serious alarm or distress" and "amounted to stalking". She replied from the witness box: "Absolutely, it was a parody of me". Belfield also published Mr Vine's address to a "mass audience", the judge said. Alex Belfield - Wikipedia he said. He claimed he had been arrested four times and had had his house raided twice without a warrant. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. The judge told Belfield he will serve up to half of his sentence in prison and the remainder on licence.