Alex Belfield, 42, . He had never gone near anyone, he insisted, and was not accused of threatening any violence. = I;& Ben Hewis intended to destroy my life, reputation and career. Mr Spedding, who is known as Bernie Keith, and videographer Ben Hewis. hen Alex Belfield was sent to prison for five and a half years last month for online stalking, his accusers cried with relief. FORMER BBC radio presenter, Alex Belfield, has been jailed for five and a half years. His subscriber count has dropped, but still stands at 354,000. On Count 5, BBC & RPC lawyers refuse to deny BBC DJ Bernard Spedding / Bernie Keith wrote email. Sentencing Belfield, the judge said he had made this highly successful and confident radio presenter lose all joy in life and turned him into a shell He was terrified of you. So scared was Keith that he gave neighbours a copy of Belfields photograph, in case he decided to take his campaign of harassment offline. 'In April last year I collapsed at my home and had to be taken to hospital. Prosecutors allege that Belfield, 42, caused serious alarm or distress to Vine, former BBC Radio Leeds mid-morning show host Stephanie Hirst, and BBC Radio Northampton's Bernie Keith. The effect on Keiths life was profound. 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. Breen left this summer to become editor-in-chief at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Refuses to deny he wrote the email. 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. Member of the public 'donates' hand grenade to D-Day museum Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. 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. Alex Belfield arrives at Nottingham crown court in July for the trial in which he was accused of stalking. 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. Apparently jealous that Keith's BBC career carried on while his own was . Alex Belfield: Bernie Keith BBC Radio Northampton, 14 March 2020 (25 mins) Is Alex Belfield a victim of lawfare? After 6 months the BBC REFUSE to defend Bernie Keith and deny he sent it after 100+ emails. They were exonerated. 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. Bernie Keith confirms he's mentally ill and in therapy March 2020. Belfield was not accused of physically stalking the complainants, who were mostly current or former BBC staff. The fact we were left unsupported from the acts of someone regarded as a prolific, now convicted, stalker is problematic. Full statement on legal action & police inquiry BBC Bernie Keith / Bernard Spedding & Ben Hewis. The BBC reports Alex Belfield, . The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. His trial heard he made YouTube videos about them, posted messages on social media, sent emails, and also encouraged those that follow him to target them. 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. ', Belfield had made a bogus claim that he had been sacked, Mr Keith said, adding: 'It was all too much. 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. "In some cases this has extended to death threats," he said. However, Alex Belfield was found not guilty of stalking four other people he was accused of targeting. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? MP seeks inquiry over BBC staff harassed online, Harassed women accuse BBC of failing to help them, The stalker who reported on his own trial, My jailed stalker says he'll be back - Jeremy Vine, 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', Police appeal after stolen tools recovered, Jacksdale ferret rescue plans much-needed fundraiser, Plans for fast food outlets and a bar outside Motorpoint Arena, Huge solar farm near Gotham and East Leake recommended for approval, Community clean-up aims to improve feeling of safety in Warsop, Hucknall bus window smashed by yob with a brick, Street fighting in Bakhmut but Russia not in control, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. Labour MP Barry Sheerman is calling for an independent inquiry into how the BBC treated female staff who were harassed online by Belfield. 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. That he was allowed to play court reporter upset many complainants, particularly as Belfield decided not to give evidence under oath. Despite later coming out as a member of the LGBT community when defending himself against allegations of homophobia in his trial, Belfield attempted to project an image of rampant heterosexuality for much of his life, with frequent references to breasticles and the current or future Mrs Belfield. 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! 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', Police appeal after stolen tools recovered, Jacksdale ferret rescue plans much-needed fundraiser, Plans for fast food outlets and a bar outside Motorpoint Arena, Huge solar farm near Gotham and East Leake recommended for approval, Community clean-up aims to improve feeling of safety in Warsop, Hucknall bus window smashed by yob with a brick, Street fighting in Bakhmut but Russia not in control, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. 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. >? = Alex Belfield was convicted of four charges following a trial at Nottingham Crown Court, Belfield was found guilty of "simple" stalking in relation to BBC presenter Jeremy Vine, Belfield was previously a presenter at BBC Radio Leeds, Belfield made videos throughout his trial and posted them on YouTube. 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. 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. That is a picnic compared to this guy. and BBC Radio Northampton's Bernie Keith. 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. UPDATE. Mr Justice Saini added: "You made communications which had serious impacts on the private lives of the complaints and had distressing effects on their physical and mental health.''. "You were not a whistleblower in any sense but developed a fixation with pursuing Mr Vine with a campaign of abuse," the judge said. He presents aYouTubechannel called Voice of Reason, which has over 361,000 subscribers. Jurors deliberated for 14 hours and 27 minutes before reaching their verdicts, following a four-week trial that began on 5 July. 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. His voice breaking with emotion, Mr Keith added: 'That removes the hope from my life that I will ever be free of this man. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk. Read about our approach to external linking. During the trial, Mr Keith told the court he was left feeling suicidal by a tsunami of hate from Alex Belfield. Alex Belfield, who now runs a YouTube channel, stalked his victims by harassing them online. Mr Spedding said Belfield's YouTube videos, emails and social media messages had included highly abusive language and a threat to "hound you for the rest of your life". We were the learning curve for Belfield. 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. Worse, in 2013, a few years into Belfields campaign against her and Breen, the BBCs HR team chose to launch an investigation not into their harassment, but into whether they were guilty of bullying Belfield. The relief was temporary. Green says she is deeply disappointed that the BBC did not commission an independent inquiry. 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 . Feb 10th, doors at 7, first dance at 7.30- 11.30. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Find Alex Belfield of CelebrityRadio.biz's articles, email address, contact information, Twitter and more. Required fields are marked *. But when Aubrey caught Covid, Vine opted to be questioned by Belfield rather than delay a long-booked holiday, and found himself being asked about the true meaning of the word cunt. Perhaps that independent review would expose those at the very top (men) who left us exposed. 0 More videos coming soon.. He has also been convicted of stalking Bernie Keith and videographer Ben Hewis. Find Alex Belfield's email address, contact information, LinkedIn, Twitter, other social media and more.