Man obsessed with BBC's Emily Maitlis is jailed for five years
Man obsessed with BBC's Emily Maitlis is jailed for five years
Ms Maitlis described her husband finding Vines on their doorstep, her children needing to be escorted to the school bus, and 'upsetting interactions' with her 92-year-old mother
Emily Maitlis, British journalist, documentary filmmaker, and former newsreader for the BBC
An obsessed serial stalker of former BBC Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis has been jailed for five years after breaching his restraining order by sending the broadcaster and her parents letters from prison. Nottingham Crown Court heard that Edward Vines was 'distraught' that his friendship with Ms Maitlis ended three months after he told her he loved her while they were at university in Cambridge together, but his offending since has made Ms Maitlis feel 'vulnerable and worried'.
Vines, who refused to attend his sentencing hearing on Thursday, sent envelopes, sometimes containing more than one letter, addressed to Ms Maitlis and her relatives which were intercepted by prison staff at HMP Lowdham Grange in Nottinghamshire, where he was serving a sentence for previous harassment. The 55-year-old, who represented himself in the trial, denied three counts of breaching a restraining order and one count of attempting to breach a restraining order between May 2023 and February 2024 but was convicted of all offences by a jury in May.
He addressed more than 20 letters to Ms Maitlis and her family over a 10-month period and phoned his brother in July 2023 asking him to contact her mother Marion Maitlis. The court heard that Vines has 13 previous convictions for 28 offences dating back to 2002 'almost all of which concern harassment or breach of a restraining order' relating to Ms Maitlis.
In a short victim personal statement read to the court by prosecutor Fergus Malone, Ms Mailtis wrote: 'For over 30 years I have been living with the consequences of the persistent and unwanted attention of this individual. I feel especially vulnerable and worried when the matter comes to trial. The idea that he might be bailed is deeply worrying and I would be very concerned for my safety and the safety of my family.'
Ms Maitlis also described her husband finding Vines on their doorstep, her children needing to be escorted to the school bus, and 'upsetting interactions' with her 92-year-old mother. Part of an interview she did with Radio 5 Live in 2018 was also read to the court, in which she described feeling 'paranoia' and said the harassment feels like a 'chronic illness'.
Sentencing Vines in his absence, Judge Mark Watson said: 'It is a tragedy that I once again have to deal with Edward Vines for breaking the restraining order imposed to stop him having contact with Emily Maitlis and her family. He has shown complete contempt for this order. His contact with her is harassment of her whatever the content of his letters may be.
Article continues below
'In this case she (Ms Maitlis) has been fearful for three decades. In 2018 she described the effects of the fear she felt as a result of Edward Vines's behaviour. It was described by her as like a chronic illness. Because of the history of this case, I regard each single letter as a very serious breach. These were also letters that did not get through. They were not threatening or meant as abusive.
'I do accept that because of his mental health issues there is some reduction to his culpability. He was, however, capable of making rational decisions. He is a very bright and articulate man – he could have been many things. His obsession with Emily Maitlis has tortured him without release.
'He has wasted more than two decades of his life and regrettably he is set to waste more of it in custody.'
The judge added that Vines's imprisonment is the 'only thing stopping him from contacting the Maitlis family directly'.
Mr Malone told the jury during the trial that Vines wrote a letter addressed to Ms Maitlis, who co-hosts The News Agents podcast, which said: 'I took the audacity of writing to you despite the restraining order because I'm still distraught about what took place between us in 1990.
'I regularly suffer depression over it and have for 30 years. I admit I'm not sure why I suffer so, but suffer I do.'
Article continues below
The restraining order was put in place on September 5 2022 when Vines was convicted of eight counts of breaching a restraining order and he was jailed for eight years.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
26 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
BBC under pressure amid criticism of ‘death to the IDF' chants at Glastonbury
Rapper Bobby Vylan, of rap punk duo Bob Vylan, on Saturday led crowds on the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of 'Free, free Palestine' and 'Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)'. A member of Belfast rap trio Kneecap suggested fans 'start a riot' at his bandmate's forthcoming court appearance related to a terrorism charge. Responding to the chants from Bob Vylan, the Prime Minister said: 'There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech. 'I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence. 'The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast.' A member of Kneecap said 'f*** Keir Starmer' during their performance after the Prime Minister called for the band not to play at the festival. Avon and Somerset Police said video evidence from the performances would be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation. Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis said Bob Vylan's chants 'very much crossed a line'. 'We are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence,' she said in a statement. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said Bob Vylan was 'inciting violence and hatred' and should be arrested and prosecuted. 'By broadcasting his vile hatred, the BBC appear to have also broken the law,' he said. 'I call on the Police to urgently investigate and prosecute the BBC as well for broadcasting this. Our national broadcaster should not be transmitting hateful material designed to incite violence and conflict,' he posted on X. Health Secretary Wes Streeting called it a 'pretty shameless publicity stunt' and said the BBC and Glastonbury have 'questions to answer about how we saw such a spectacle on our screens', speaking to Sky News. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the scenes 'grotesque'. 'Glorifying violence against Jews isn't edgy. The West is playing with fire if we allow this sort of behaviour to go unchecked,' she wrote on X. Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately said she was 'horrified' and that the BBC should have cut the feed. 'Given the nature of the attacks on Israel, the BBC should not have kept broadcasting that. They should have cut the coverage immediately,' she told Times Radio. Liberal Democrat culture, media and sport spokesman Max Wilkinson said: 'Bob Vylan's chants at Glastonbury yesterday were appalling. Cultural events are always a place for debate, but hate speech, antisemitism and incitements to violence have no place at Glastonbury or anywhere in our society.' Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to the BBC director general about Bob Vylan's performance, a Government spokesperson said. The BBC said it showed a warning during the performance and that viewers would not be able to access it on demand. Bob Vylan performing on the West Holts Stage (Ben Birchall/PA) A spokesperson for the broadcaster said: 'Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive. 'During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. 'We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.' The Israeli embassy said it was 'deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival'. The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said it would be formally complaining to the BBC over its 'outrageous decision' to broadcast Bob Vylan. 'Our national broadcaster must apologise for its dissemination of this extremist vitriol, and those responsible must be removed from their positions,' a spokesperson said. Bob Vylan, who formed in Ipswich in 2017, have released four albums addressing issues to do with racism, masculinity and class. Bobby Vylan's real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, according to reports. He is listed on Companies House as the director of Ghost Theatre Records, which is operated by Bob Vylan. Kneecap performing on the West Holts Stage (Yui Mok/PA) Kneecap have been in the headlines after member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence. The group performed after Vylan's set on the West Holts Stage with O hAnnaidh exclaiming 'Glastonbury, I'm a free man' as they took to the stage. In reference to his bandmate's forthcoming court date, Naoise O Caireallain, who performs under the name Moglai Bap, said they would 'start a riot outside the courts', before clarifying: 'No riots, just love and support, and support for Palestine.' In the run-up to the festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset, several politicians called for the group to be removed from the line-up and Sir Keir said their performance would not be 'appropriate'. During Kneecap's set, O hAnnaidh said: 'The prime minister of your country, not mine, said he didn't want us to play, so f*** Keir Starmer.' Kneecap also gave a 'big thank you to the Eavis family' and said 'they stood strong' amid calls for the organisers to drop them from the line-up. A BBC spokesperson said an on-demand version of Kneecap's performance was available on iPlayer. 'We have edited it to ensure the content falls within the limits of artistic expression in line with our editorial guidelines and reflects the performance from Glastonbury's West Holts Stage. As with all content which includes strong language, this is signposted with appropriate warnings.'
Western Telegraph
an hour ago
- Western Telegraph
British Israeli soldier killed in Gaza, reports say
He was named locally as 20-year-old Sergeant Yisrael Natan Rosenfeld from the city of Ra'anana. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it is 'looking into reports that an IDF soldier who died in combat in Gaza is a British national'. The IDF soldier, of the 601st Combat Engineering Battalion, was killed by an explosive device on Sunday, the Times of Israel reported. The paper said Mr Rosenfeld moved to Israel from London with his family 11 years ago. Israel has been operating in Gaza since the Hamas militant group's October 7 2023 attack on Israel. More than 860 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the war began, including more than 400 during the fighting in Gaza. US-led ceasefire efforts have repeatedly stalled. The Israeli offensive has devastated Gaza and killed more than 56,000 people, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, a branch of the Hamas government. The death toll is by far the highest in any round of Israeli-Palestinian fighting.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
BBC chiefs 'should face charges' over Glastonbury... Outrage grows after broadcast of vile 'death to Israeli soldiers' chants
BBC bosses should be prosecuted for broadcasting a vile anti-Semitic outburst at the Glastonbury festival, the Tory party said last night. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the corporation 'appears to have broken the law' by transmitting a punk duo's calls for the deaths of Israeli soldiers. Top lawyer Lord Carlile said the BBC may have committed a criminal offence, while Sir Keir Starmer said the broadcaster had serious questions to answer. The growing backlash comes after the BBC live-streamed Bob Vylan's performance uninterrupted on its iPlayer site. It could now face an investigation into whether it has breached public-order laws. During Saturday's performance by the London-based pro-Palestinian duo, vocalist Bobby Vylan shouted 'Death, death to the IDF', the Israeli Defence Forces. He followed the chant, which was repeated by the audience, with 'From the river to the sea, Palestine... will be free' – regarded by many Jews as a call for Israel 's elimination. Broadcasting material calling for the death of an individual or group is an offence under the Public Order Act 1986. It carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison. Detectives from Avon and Somerset Police, the force responsible for the policing of Glastonbury, are reviewing footage of the performance. It is understood that BBC director-general Sir Tim Davie would have to bear ultimate responsibility if the Crown Prosecution Service decided to take the matter further. Mr Philp said: 'It looks clear that Bob Vylan were inciting violence and hatred. 'They should be arrested and prosecuted – just like some of those who did the same during the riots last summer. 'By broadcasting the duo's vile hatred, the BBC appears to have also broken the law. I call on the police to urgently investigate and prosecute the BBC as well for broadcasting this. 'Our national broadcaster should not be transmitting hateful material designed to incite violence and conflict.' Bob Vylan were performing as a warm-up act for controversial Northern Irish rappers Kneecap – one of whose members is facing a terror charge for allegedly displaying a flag in support of the banned organisation Hezbollah. Sir Keir said there was no excuse for Vylan's 'appalling' hate speech. 'I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence,' he added. 'The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast.' Lord Carlile said people were free to make anti-Israel comments but when those comments spilled over into death threats, or something that sounded like death threats, the BBC had a responsibility not to broadcast unlawful material. The KC, who served as the Government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation for ten years, added: 'I would be interested to know whether the BBC took legal advice and, if so, what that legal advice was. I'm very troubled they may have broadcast unlawful material under section 22 of the Public Order Act.' Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis said: 'Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for anti-Semitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.' But lawyer Mark Lewis, who specialises in libel cases, said the apology had come too late. He added: 'It is a bit rich that they try to lock the stable doors after the horse has bolted. Glastonbury was warned what was likely to happen and now it is likely there will be legal consequences.' Former Tory culture secretary Nadine Dorries said the BBC had 'serious questions to answer', adding: 'It is quite right that lawyers are asking whether the broadcasting of the chants made on the stage at Glastonbury have crossed the line into a criminal offence. Police should seek swift advice and take action immediately.' Dame Priti Patel, former home secretary and current Shadow Foreign Secretary, added: '[The BBC] no longer hold the respectability to claim the mantle of our national broadcaster.' Former Labour minister Lord Austin said: 'This weekend Glastonbury was turned into a sickening hate rally, and chants for death were beamed into millions of homes by the BBC. Bob Vylan, who formed eight years ago in London, refuse to reveal their real names because of what they call the 'surveillance state' Glastonbury had said all were welcome at the festival but added it 'does not condone hate speech or incitement to violence of any kind from its performers' 'Tim Davie must now launch an urgent investigation and fire those found to be responsible. He must understand this is a very dark day for the corporation that calls its very purpose and future into question.' Former director of BBC television Danny Cohen told The Daily Telegraph: 'The police should investigate, as should the BBC's board, led by chairman Samir Shah. How much longer can they tolerate the failings of BBC leadership on anti-Semitism and bias?' A spokesman for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said: 'The BBC has surpassed even itself in endangering British Jews by airing this violent chanting. 'We are formally complaining to the BBC over its outrageous decision not only to broadcast Bob Vylan's calls for death and destruction, but also to place that segment on iPlayer along with Kneecap's performance, which the BBC knew in advance that it should not air. Our national broadcaster must apologise for its dissemination of this extremist vitriol, and those responsible must be removed from their positions. 'That includes Tim Davie... who has had more than enough chances to stop this abuse of licence fee payers' money to platform bigots and extremists.' Toby Young, president of the Free Speech Union, raised the case of childminder Lucy Connolly, who was jailed for tweets she made about deporting asylum seekers and burning down hotels housing them after the Southport killings of three girls at a dance studio. She is currently serving a 31-month sentence. He added: 'She caveated what she said by adding 'for all I care', whereas he [Vylan] clearly does care and wants every member of the IDF, which includes virtually the entire population of Israel, to be killed, so the case for prosecuting him is stronger. But to be clear, neither should be prosecuted.' Bob Vylan's performance was later removed from iPlayer. A BBC spokesman said: 'Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive. 'During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.' Avon and Somerset Police were approached for comment.
