bernie keith alex belfield

hen Alex Belfield was sent to prison for five and a half years last month for online stalking, his accusers cried with relief. The judge referred to the victims graphic and distressing evidence in court about the impact of Belfields campaign of harassment, and how he had been just seconds away from dying by suicide. 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. "He had to ask his family to watch out for you and to take care in and around their home address.". "Your methods were, however, just as effective as a way of intimidating your victims, and were in many ways much harder to deal with.". Alex Belfield repeatedly posted abusive social media messages after his BBC contract wasn't renewed (Picture: PA) . "He was seconds away from taking his own life as a result of your conduct," the judge, Mr Justice Saini, told Belfield. 918-707-5636 ohniyou ceiling fan manual. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. His voice breaking with emotion, Mr Keith added: 'That removes the hope from my life that I will ever be free of this man. For each of these offences he was sentenced to 13 weeks, also to run consecutively. "He had no escape from you," the judge told Belfield. Ms Breen had been his boss at BBC Radio Leeds, Ms Green had been a fellow radio presenter, Ms Thomas had been Ms Breen's boss, and Ms Hirst joined BBC Radio Leeds as a presenter after Belfield left. Former BBC DJ Alex Belfield has been discovered responsible of the relentless stalking of different broadcasters, together with Jeremy Vine, who he Trending 'La Brea' Season 2 Trailer Goes EVEN DEEPER. I find you intended to maximise Mr Keiths distress.. BBC Radio Northampton presenter Bernie Keith told the court he was left feeling suicidal by what he called Belfield's "tsunami of hate." Belfield's contract with BBC Radio Leeds ended in 2011. hbbd```b``"H %&jv`8Z`` Hy |AAg%@ !CI Ben Hewis intended to destroy my life, reputation and career. Heres Celebrity Radios BBC Bernie Keith & Ben Hewis STATEMENT. The relief was temporary. 2023 BBC. Fans, largely older women, were often in the public gallery to show support. How much money Belfield made in recent years is unclear. Recalling how he was offered counselling in 2020, the presenter told the court: 'I had three sessions before lockdown came into force. During his trial, the court heard from his stalking victims - including BBC Radio Northampton presenter Bernie Keith. 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Mr Vine gave evidence against Belfield, of Mapperley, Nottingham, telling jurors: This is not a regular troll here. Breen and Green both think the BBC failed all four women who gave evidence against Belfield. View our online Press Pack. Corporate Lawfare and Stalking. Apparently jealous that Keith's BBC career carried on while his own was . Bernie Keith (pictured) 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 and false claims, Prosecutors allege that Belfield (pictured arriving at Nottingham Crown Court), who hosts a radio channel on YouTube, waged a relentless nine-year campaign of stalking against eight victims, including ex-colleagues, after BBC Radio Leeds did not renew his contract in 2011. Peers in show business blocked me including @BazBam (#1 print journo) calling me abhorrent in reply to the Hewis published LIES. 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. 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. Start the ball rolling by posting a comment on this article! 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. Ex-BBC presenter Alex Belfield's "campaign of harassment" had left Northampton's Bernie Keith "just seconds away" from suicide. Thank you for your patience. We were the warm-up act.. UPDATE. The BBC turned a blind eye to the abuse, says Green: We were not heard. 'The counselling didn't work for me - I had never had counselling before and I found it very difficult, very alien.'. Yet, he remains unstable and on air at the BBC. 'I can't remember when I have had a run of good sleep of longer than five hours. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. At NorthantsLive we're more than just news. To those who had been monitoring Belfields output for the past few years, it was no surprise that he wanted the final word. "Throughout this trial, victims and other witnesses have given evidence with dignity and I would like to thank them for their willingness to give evidence. Ex-BBC presenter guilty of stalking broadcasters including Jeremy Vine and Radio Northampton's Bernie Keith. The judge told Belfield that while not traditional stalking, his methods were just as effective a way of intimidating victims and in many ways much harder to deal with. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter'. It didnt work. Belfield currently hosts the Voice of Reason YouTube channel, which has over 372,000 subscribers. Both had come to the defence of others under attack by Belfield. The respondent has carried out acts associated with stalking; The respondent poses a risk of stalking to a person; and, There is reasonable cause to believe the proposed order is necessary to protect the other person from that risk. They were exonerated. Ben Hewis is perverting the course of justice. Refuses to deny he wrote the email. Recommended Ex-BBC DJ guilty of stalking Jeremy Vine during 'vile' hate campaign He added there was no escape for Belfields victims, until bail conditions were imposed ahead of his trial. To have your reputation destroyed maliciously is unforgivable. 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Belfield compared his treatment with that of a police officer who had escaped jail despite being convicted of possessing child abuse images. The Guardian asked Bridgen if he regretted supporting Belfield and did not receive a response. Ben Hewis refuses to engage with the police and hand over the email. In September 1997, he began his career as part of the launch team of Radio 106. 'I will never be able to work out why it has happened to me.'. The jurors accepted Belfield caused serious alarm or distress to two victims - the BBC Radio Northampton presenter Bernie Keith . He has also been convicted of stalking Bernie Keith and videographer Ben Hewis. The BBC reports Alex Belfield, . Regardless, the judge clearly considered him a threat. Victim personal statements were not read out in court, but Mr Hewis tweeted his after the sentencing. Asked why it had not banned Belfield from its platform following his conviction, YouTube did not respond. Mr Justice Saini said Belfield's campaign of harassment had left Mr Keith just seconds away from dying by suicide. I pleaded with him [Belfield] to stop. The former BBC radio presenter was jailed for five-and-a-half years after being convicted in September. He warned him he could then be recalled to prison if he commits a further offence. Ben Hewis refuses to engage with the police and hand over the email. All prove they have absolutely no understanding of the law. Copyright Celebrity Radio. Finally, respite from what for some had been a decade of near-constant abuse. Alex Belfield arrives at Nottingham crown court in July for the trial in which he was accused of stalking. The application is being followed-up in its original format, including victims from his trial, and with two more people added - who were not involved in his trial. Green was having none of it: I went up to him and I said: You are a grade-A wanker. She stands by that description, but came to regret making an enemy of someone who turned out to be a herculean grudge-holder. Breen sacked him on the spot, but agreed to honour the last two months of his contract. 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. The TV presenter labelled him the Jimmy Savile of trolling during the trial, which heard he repeatedly posted or sent abusive messages, videos and emails. Finally, respite from what for some had been a decade of near-constant abuse. "The Crown makes no submission that the overall sentence was, given the new knowledge of the legal position, inappropriate or unduly lenient," said Mr Justice Saini at Leicester Crown Court. "Despite four women not securing guilty verdicts, today's custodial sentences are a welcome relief," she wrote. 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. For each of these charges he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, to run consecutively. 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As well as jailing Belfield, Mr Justice Saini issued indefinite restraining orders banning the DJ from contacting his victims. 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". American mom living in Paris mesmerizes internet after revealing the VERY surprising after-school snack kids eat in France. %%EOF For PR Pros Overview; Media Database . Alex Belfield is a 42-year-old former BBC radio star and vlogger who hails from Nottinghamshire. December is a busy month. Alex Belfields online harassment made life misery for BBC presenters Jeremy Vine, Liz Green and many others. I NEED YOUR HELP TO GET JUSTICE. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. The criteria for applying for an order are set out in section 1(1) of the Stalking Protection Act 2019. 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. He soon made enemies in the theatre world, says a director who started monitoring his online activities a few years ago (and who wishes to remain anonymous). endstream endobj startxref Some feel he was given too much power in his own trial. 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The royal we was a frequent Belfield affectation, designed to give the impression that he sat at the top of an anti-woke multimedia empire in the Alex Jones/Infowars mould. 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. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk. Why would he/they not deny it if he didnt send it? Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? A security company had also been brought in to collect him from the radio station's car park, Mr Keith said. BBC Radio Northampton presenter Bernie Keith was left feeling suicidal by a "tsunami of hate", the trial heard. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. 100+ emails sent/received from BBC & lawyers no defense of Spedding whatsoever. Read about our approach to external linking. 'This was the darkest point of my life because there was no end to it. Apparently jealous that Keiths BBC career carried on while his own was stymied, Belfield set about trying to ruin Keiths life using his usual weapons of YouTube, Twitter and emails. 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. The judge described Mr Dehanys mother as robust for the way she dealt calmly with Belfield, telling her: Everybody needs a mother like you. Mr Justice Saini said: It was an outrageous and cruel act to call her and make a recording, which Belfield later used as content on his channel. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. "My initial reaction [to the stalking] was 'He's gone mad'," Mr Spedding told the trial. Then began a 10-year campaign of harassment against both Breen and Green, as well as Helen Thomas, Breens line manager, who was head of regional and local programming for Yorkshire. The final two victims who went to court and testified against Belfield were both from the theatre world. Alex Belfield is convicted of stalking four people online but cleared of stalking four others. Silence was the best policy in the eyes of the corporation. He will be even more unbearable, she said in an Instagram video, with a twinkle in her eye that suggested she can hardly wait. 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; The Belfield Green knew at Radio Leeds in 2010 was difficult but he wasnt a table-thumping, immigrant-hating rightwing polemicist, she says. Perhaps that independent review would expose those at the very top (men) who left us exposed. It was a risk. Member of the public 'donates' hand grenade to D-Day museum Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. I can tell you now their proposed review will not claim responsibility nor say sorry. It sent this statement: Monetisation on the Voice of Reason channel remains suspended for violating our creator responsibility policy. Giving evidence in court, Vine said: I have in the past had a physical stalker who followed me. Bernie confirms on air 'they' think he's "bonkers & loony toons". He was convicted Friday, August 5, 2022, on four counts of stalking. "Blocking was also a futile exercise as Belfield continued to seek out new ways to get to me when others failed. Never miss a crime story with our free email updates. Asked by prosecutor John McGuinness QC to explain the personal, professional and health impact of the alleged stalking, Mr Keith responded: 'I had physical threats and, I believe, death threats. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. 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. xRn0+|L)%^RKXoZi;;0AQnKF. The opening of the trial heard that Belfield had been a presenter at BBC Radio Leeds, having been given a one-year contract in spring 2010. 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. Mr Justice Saini said: You made this highly successful and confident radio presenter lose all joy in life and turned him into a shell. Mr Spedding, who is known as Bernie Keith, and videographer Ben Hewis. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Ben Hewis is a videographer who works in the theatre and wedding industries and Philip Dehany was a rival theatre blogger. 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. . ', After describing how he had considered taking his own life, he told the jury: 'I just couldn't do it. . Broadcaster Alex Belfield arrested FIVE times and strip-searched in 'BBC witch-hunt' The Home Secretary has been asked to intervene in an alleged "witch hunt" of a former BBC DJ who has been . Between 2004 and 2010, he appeared on radio stations, including Mercia FM, Touch FM, BBC Bristol, BBC Radio Shropshire and BBC Hereford and Worcester. A former BBC DJ has been found guilty of waging a relentless stalking campaign against broadcasters and subjecting TV presenter Jeremy Vine to an 'avalanche of hatred.' Alex Belfield was labelled . As Prince Harry says he felt like the film 'the boy in the bubble' before having therapy, who was 12-year-old David Vetter whose tragic story inspired the documentary? All is explained in the video. I had gone to the police to make it stop and it was just getting worse. 'Because of the tsunami of hate and threats that were coming in to me, we had to have someone else sat in the building with me.'. The fact we were asked to ignore potentially criminal evidence is an issue. 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. I hope you take some time to consider Bernie Keith's statement. Keith tried in vain to get YouTube to remove all of the libellous videos, even turning up at the social networks HQ to beg it in person. 6 months later Ben Hewis REFUSES to release the email. Both question why the corporation only really took the abuse seriously once a well-known man Vine was involved. Thats a word I have never heard We four were left to suffer and are suffering still, she says. 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. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. 1. He had never gone near anyone, he insisted, and was not accused of threatening any violence. Mr Vine was subjected to false and baseless claims relating to the supposed theft of 1,000, the court heard. alex belfield wife name. Ben Hewis refuses to communicate with Nottingham Police. However, Alex Belfield was found not guilty of stalking four other people he was accused of targeting. We were the learning curve for Belfield. On Count 5 you were convicted of stalking Mr Bernard Spedding - known professionally as Bernie Keith. 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. That all stopped in February this year when YouTube suspended monetisation on Belfields Voice of Reason for violating its creator policy, after. 'Once you sign up, you do what you're told': Duke of Sussex tells trauma expert Gabor Mat 'a lot of us' in the Army 'didn't necessarily agree or disagree' with the West's invasion of Afghanistan but did 'what you're trained to do'. Count 8: Jeremy Vine, not guilty to stalking to cause alarm and distress but guilty to simply stalking - Belfield is sentenced to 13 weeks consecutively for stalking Mr Vine. 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. Online stalkers like you have the ability to recruit an army of followers whose conduct massively expands the effect of your stalking. He hated being told how to improve by Jeremy, and thats where I think it all started.. Olivia Attwood praises best pal Georgia Harrison as 'brave and dignified' after Stephen Bear jailed for sharing sex tape, Peter Andre reveals strict rule for daughter Princess's career after she teams up with fashion brand, Where cast of Flipper are now - from hilarious run-in with the Queen to Breaking Bad fame & star with 14 kids by 4 mums, Stephen Bears fiance Jessica Smith vows to stick with him 'through thick and thin' after shamed reality star is jailed, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). His subscriber count has dropped, but still stands at 354,000. How a failed local radio DJ with Timmy Malletts dress sense ended up making potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds broadcasting lies about his largely obscure enemies is a story that begins in 2010. I will refer to him by that name. Even after YouTube stopped him making money from his channel, Belfield was still reasonably flush. There are lessons to learn clearly and the toxic nature of online hate will only get worse for staff. 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. In August Belfield, of Mapperley, was convicted of stalking to cause alarm and distress to BBC Radio Northampton's Bernie Keith, and guilty of the same charge concerning videographer Ben Hewis. After 6 months the BBC REFUSE to defend Bernie Keith and deny he sent it after 100+ emails. Something went wrong, please try again later. 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". Mr Vine faced a torrent of abuse online, including thousands of social media messages from Belfields followers and personal threats. alex belfield wife namemr patel neurosurgeon cardiff 27 februari, 2023 . The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. He realised what he could do and did it with impunity. Why did it take so long to bring him to justice? All he had done, he suggested, was challenge people who had said things I believed to be untrue. The fact we were left unsupported from the acts of someone regarded as a prolific, now convicted, stalker is problematic. The judge did stop him from interrogating complainants, appointing David Aubrey as a proxy advocate. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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