A former Coventry radio presenter has been sentenced to over 5 years in prison. Alex Belfield worked at Coventry’s Mercia FM and on the breakfast show at Coventry’s Touch FM between 2000 and 2009 broadcasting from the Coventry-based studios.
Alex moved to a number of other radio stations in the UK, before working at BBC Radio Leeds.
After his morning show in 2011 was not renewed , Alex Belfield, 41, was put on trial for allegedly conducting a “campaign of harassment” against BBC employees and associates.
Further reports are at :
https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/local-news/live-alex-belfield-updates-ex-7575947
https://www.irishmirror.ie/showbiz/celebrity-news/breaking-alex-belfield-bbc-dj-28007892
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/19827738/bbc-radio-dj-jailed-stalk-jeremy-vine/
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/alex-belfield-latest-jeremy-vine-sentence-b2168752.html
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-62925746
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/jeremy-vine-stalker-alex-belfield-jailed-b1026141.html
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/jeremy-vine-my-stalker-thrived-on-hate-im-drained-nzsnndccf
https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/iain-lee-visibly-emotional-alex-7597357
Stalking is a crime.
— Rozina Breen (@RozieBreen) September 16, 2022
Horrific, vicious, cowardly.
Despite four women not securing guilty verdicts, today’s custodial sentences are a welcome relief.
We came forward w/ Bernie, Phil, @theJeremyVine & @benhewis for justice.
Glad, aftr 10 long yrs, to finally have it. https://t.co/p05By5KQbD
#Breaking Former BBC local radio DJ Alex Belfield has been jailed for five years and 26 weeks at Nottingham Crown Court after being convicted of four stalking charges against broadcasters including Jeremy Vine pic.twitter.com/FVk2NmAdNK
— PA Media (@PA) September 16, 2022
Today Alex Belfield has been sentenced to 5 years 26 weeks in prison for his stalking myself and 7 others. I’m thrilled justice has been served & excited to move on with the rest of my life.
— Ben Hewis (@benhewis) September 16, 2022
For anyone interested in what I was subjected to, below is my victim personal statement:
Alex Belfield made my life miserable for ten years. I considered suicide. He told me to do it. Today he was sentenced to 5 and a half years.
— Iain Lee (@iainlee) September 16, 2022
Here’s a video of me reacting to the news as it comes in. I will post an edited version later.https://t.co/gB67ZJ4kXd
During the Trial
During the trial, it was alleged Alex Belfield sent co-workers a barrage of hateful emails, tweets, and texts while also posting videos to his “The Voice of Reason” YouTube channel.
Jeremy Vine from BBC Radio 2 sobbed in court as he testified about how Alex Belfield bombarded him with an avalanche of sewerage. The presenter called Alex Belfield the Jimmy Savile of stalking and claimed that because of his acts, he had lost sleep, worried about his family, and received abuse since his father had died.
Alex Belfield in Court.
Belfield allegedly claimed in court that Vine had taken £1,000 from licence fee payers to use for a memorial. This was found to be unrtrue.
Four allegations of stalking against Belfield, of Mapperley, England, were found to be true when on trial in August 2022.
Vine claimed that in case Belfield showed up at his house, he had posted a picture of him in the hallway and warned his kids.
According to testimony given to jurors, YouTube broadcaster Belfield started harassing BBC employees after they declined to extend his contract at BBC Radio Leeds.
Alex Belfield on Radio stations in Coventry
Although the Coventry radio stations that Alex Belfield worked at still broadcast on local transmitters in Coventry, both radio stations have closed their Coventry-based studios, moved out of the city and re-branded. Mercia has since been renamed as “Free Radio”, a relayed service from Birmingham and Manchester and Touch now broadcasts as “Capital” relayed from London studios in Leicester Square.
Mercia’s studios were in Hertford Place, whilst Touch broadcast from its Hill Street studios in the city.
Bernie Keith also formerly of Mercia FM radio, was a target of Belfield’s stalking. Bernie Keith now works at BBC Radio Northampton.
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