Alex Belfield, a former DJ for local BBC radio who was known as the “Jimmy Savile of Trolls,” was found guilty on four counts of stalking, including one against Jeremy Vine, and received a five-year sentence.
After a trial last month, Alex Belfield, 42, was found guilty of engaging in a persistent stalking campaign against media outlets, subjecting TV personality Jeremy Vine to an “avalanche of hatred.”
During a trial when it was shown that he often posted or emailed abusive comments, videos, and emails, Vine referred to him as “the Jimmy Savile of trolling.”
jurors concurred Belfield was found guilty of “simple” stalking in regard to theatre blogger Philip Dehany and Channel 5 and BBC Radio 2 broadcaster Mr. Vine. Belfield also caused substantial worry or distress to two victims.
A “tsunami of abuse” left BBC Radio Northampton host Bernie Keith feeling suicidal, the trial heard.
Additionally testifying against Belfield, Jeremy Vine told the jury, “This is not an ordinary troll here. The Jimmy Savile of trolling, this.
Mr. Vine, speaking of the defendant’s actions, compared watching Belfield’s video output to swimming in sewage and claimed that it hurt like hell. He added that the only way to stop the pain was to remain motionless.
Belfield was found guilty by a jury of four offences he committed between 2012 and 2021.
Belfield was sitting in the court dock taking notes when Mr. Justice Saini delivered the punishment, telling him: “Your offences are so terrible, only a jail term can be justified.”
In spite of Belfield’s “full acknowledgement of the anguish to victims,” the pre-sentence report, he said, “highlights you still seem to concentrate on the effect on you and believe in some ways you’ve been unjustly handled.”
Although not “conventional stalking,” the court told Belfield, “your techniques were just as effective a manner of scaring victims and in many respects more tougher to cope with.”
Until bail restrictions were put in place prior to Belfield’s trial, he said, there was “no escape” for his victims. He also agreed with Mr. Vine’s assessment that the former DJ had “weaponized the internet” against individuals he targeted.
Here’s more.