Former BBC DJ Alex Belfield Released Early from Prison
A former BBC DJ who was branded the "Jimmy Savile of trolling" by his stalking victim Jeremy Vine has been released early from behind bars. Alex Belfield, of Mapperley, was jailed for five years in September 2022, after he waged a relentless stalking campaign against the Radio 2 host as well as other broadcasters.
According to reports from the Daily Mail, Vine described the ex BBC Radio Leeds DJ as the "Jimmy Savile of trolling" after being subjected to "an avalanche of hatred" by Belfield, who repeatedly sent him abusive messages, videos, and emails. Belfield 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.
He was further found guilty of "simple stalking" regarding theatre blogger Philip Dehany and to the "simple stalking" of presenter and broadcaster Jeremy Vine. The stalker’s relentless campaign has also left Mr Keith feeling suicidal after receiving a "tsunami of hate", as well as driving Mr Dehany to the brink of taking his own life.
In 2023, Belfield agreed to pay "substantial" damages to Vine for making "false allegations of dishonesty" during his "hurtful" campaign against the broadcaster. The Daily Mail can now reveal that Belfield was released today from HMP Fosse Way in Leicester early at around 11.20am.
Upon his release, Belfield was seen carrying a large black holdall containing his possessions, with a picture of US President Donald Trump above the words "Never Surrender" sellotaped to it. Wearing a navy blue and white striped polo shirt, coupled with jeans, the former DJ also gripped onto a green leaflet bearing the words, "What’s next, through the gate support for you".
When asked if he had anything to say, he replied: "Sadly I can’t talk to you, but thank you very much. Gagged." He then unwrapped three pieces of black tape from around a pen and stuck them over his mouth.
Belfield’s website, where he describes himself as a "political prisoner", appeared to make light of his crimes – and even had a clock counting down until his release date. He also joked about crimes behind bars and promoted a tour for "Voice of Reason" podcast, called the "The Convicted Talker", seemingly as a pun regarding his stalking.
During his sentencing at Nottingham Crown Court, the judge Mr Justice Saini said: "Your offences are so serious, only a custodial sentence can be justified." He also said Belfield’s motive was "personal grudges and responses to real or apparent slights," rather than to "exercise his journalistic freedom to comments on matters of public interest".
The Daily Mail reported that during the criminal trial, Vine sobbed as he recalled how he had to install security cameras as he feared one of Belfield’s "disciples" would launch a knife or acid attack on him or his family.
As well as indefinite restraining orders being made in relation to the four people he was convicted of stalking, Belfield also had indefinite restraining orders imposed in relation to four women who he was cleared of stalking. Belfield agreed to pay "substantial" damages to Mr Vine in 2023 for making "false allegations of dishonesty" in a separate civil legal action over his "campaign of defamation and harassment".
Gervase de Wilde, for Mr Vine, said Belfield had made "entirely false" allegations in nine YouTube videos and eight tweets put online between May and August 2020. This included the false claim that Mr Vine was "seriously and demonstrably dishonest" because he had "publicly and repeatedly lied" about his knowledge of the circumstances in which the BBC gave him £1,000 for a memorial event for radio executive John Myers.
Mr Myers, who died in June 2019, was one of Mr Vine’s "closest friends", the court was told. Mr de Wilde said that as well as "publishing defamatory allegations of dishonesty and theft", Belfield also sought to obtain "private information concerning (Mr Vine)", including the phone numbers of family and friends, "for the purposes of publishing and disclosing that information online".
