The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has issued a “full and unreserved apology” to four former female employees for failing to protect them from constant email abuse by former radio host Alex Belfield.
Rozina Breen, Elizabeth Green, Stephanie Hirst, and Helen Thomas were subjected to online abuse “over a number of years”, the BBC said in a statement on Wednesday.
The broadcaster acknowledged that it did not do enough before 2019 to help these women and failed to understand “the full impact that Alex Belfield’s unacceptable behaviour had on them.”
“For that, we are deeply sorry and offer a full and unreserved apology,” the BBC said.
Belfield was convicted and imprisoned on four stalking charges against broadcasters, including Channel 5 host and BBC Radio 2 DJ Jeremy Vine. He was handed a five-and-a-half-year prison sentence in 2022.
The BBC said it cared “deeply about the welfare of its staff”, adding it has “strengthened [its] internal investigative capabilities.”
Although the employees are “often in the public eye and under scrutiny,” it is “unacceptable” for anyone to endure any kind of persistent harassment, BBC said.
All employees have access to guidance and support on how to handle and prevent online abuse through the BBC’s “online abuse guidance and reporting tool,” it said.
The broadcaster claimed it improved its capacity to initiate internal investigations and increased the staff’s access to mental health facilities. They added they were “significantly better equipped” to deal with these problems both now and in the future.
After a trial at Nottingham Crown Court, Belfield was found not guilty of stalking charges in relation to the four women. However, the judge mentioned each woman suffered a campaign of “harassment by email and social media communications … arising from Mr Belfield’s conduct.”
The verdict eventually left the four former employees needing psychological support. Belfield received an indefinite restraining order that forbade him from getting in touch with these women.
In 2022, he was found guilty of stalking BBC Radio host, Bernard Spedding, and videographer Ben Hewis. He was also found guilty of “simple” stalking against Vine and theatrical blogger Philip Dehany, BBC reported.
