| Alex Belfield | |
| Birth Place: | Nottingham, England |
| Employer: | BBC (former) |
| Criminal Charges: | Stalking |
| Criminal Penalty: | 5 years and 26 weeks |
| Criminal Status: | Imprisoned |
Alex Belfield (born)[1] is an English former radio presenter for BBC Radio Leeds who was dismissed for misconduct. He was convicted of stalking charges in September 2022 and imprisoned.[2]
Belfield's career began as an entertainer in Nottingham at the age of 14.[3] His career has spanned television, radio and print. He was responsible for stories on the front pages of The Sun, the Daily Mirror and the Daily Express.[4] He worked at Mansfield 103.2 FM in the early 2000s.[5] He presented the mid-morning show on BBC Radio Leeds. In 2010 he made lewd comments about weather presenter Keeley Donovan's broadcasts at home that resulted in complaints from listeners. As punishment, Belfield was suspended from the station for a day and strongly reprimanded by BBC bosses.[4]
From 2007, Belfield released videos through his YouTube channel, initially called Celebrity Radio before rebranding as The Voice of Reason.[4] [6] [7]
On 18 June 2021 Belfield was summonsed to appear at Nottingham Magistrates' Court, where he was charged with 12 counts of stalking "involving fear of violence or serious alarm or distress" on 1 July.[8] On 29 July 2021, Belfield appeared at Nottingham Crown Court accused of stalking eight people between November 2012 and March 2021, including BBC staff members Stephanie Hirst and Jeremy Vine.[1] [9]
Belfield was convicted in September 2022 for four of eight stalking charges at Nottingham Crown Court. He was sentenced to five and a half years in prison; before sentencing "he was allowed to deliver a closing speech deriding the case as a 'BBC and police witch-hunt' and describing himself as 'the No 1 anti-BBC journalist'". He told the jury "I am offensive... My human right allows me to speak words that are not to everyone's taste". The judge said that while Belfield acknowledged the distress he caused the victims, he showed more concern during the proceedings about being treated unfairly and how the process impacted him (Belfield) personally.[10] [6] A bid for leave to appeal was refused in February 2023.[11]
In May 2024, the Nottinghamshire police detective who had led the stalking investigation into Belfield won a libel case against him.[12] Belfield had falsely accused the detective of being corrupt, lying in court and colluding with the BBC in a witch hunt against him.[13] Belfield retracted all his comments, issued a "sincere and unqualified apology" and will pay substantial damages along with compensation for legal costs to the police detective.[14]