Jeremy Vine, a TV and radio host, stated today that a broadcaster who has been accused of stalking him is “the Jimmy Savile of trolls” and that it feels disgusting to watch him.
Vine, a popular presenter on BBC Radio 2 and Channel 5, has started testifying in the prosecution of former BBC Radio Leeds host Alex Belfield.
Vine claimed that Belfield attacked him with a “avalanche of venom.”
He told a jury at Nottingham Crown Court, “This is not your typical troll here; this is the Jimmy Savile of trolling.”
Vine claimed he regretted watching some of the stuff from the Belfield YouTube show videos that were played in court.
“I regretted doing so.” He added, “Watching this man is like swimming in sewage.
Vine stated: “Alex Belfield uploaded a commentary on me that called me a c***.
That was the first time I saw him or heard his name.
It’s just terrible, I thought.
It alarmed and distressed me, and I was concerned.
I thought, “This person is scary,” he continued.
“I’ve had physical stalkers follow me in the past.
“That is nothing compared to this person,” I said.
“You get hit with an avalanche of hatred,” one person said.
Vine, who was seated in the witness stand and was dressed in a blue suit, a lighter blue striped shirt, and a navy tie, made the observation that the defendant had been grinning during his testimony at one point.
That won’t deter me.
According to the prosecution, Belfield, 42, seriously alarmed or distressed Vine, Bernie Keith of BBC Radio Northampton, Stephanie Hirst, a former host of the mid-morning show on BBC Radio Leeds, and Stephanie Hirst.
Prosecutor John McGuinness QC stated in the opening statement of the Crown’s case against Belfield that Vine in 2020 had a “continuous onslaught” of threatening tweets and YouTube videos.
According to testimony given in court, Belfield, of Mapperley, Nottingham, began her career as a broadcast assistant on a local radio station and recently launched a YouTube channel called Celebrity Radio.
He denies eight stalking charges that were allegedly committed between 2012 and 2021, including three counts involving two managers and a presenter who worked for BBC Radio Leeds.