BBC ‘Deeply Sorry’ For Not Doing Much For Women Staffers Abused By Ex-Presenter

Last Updated:March 13, 2025, 07:57 IST

The BBC apologized to four ex-employees for not protecting them from Alex Belfield, a former presenter jailed for stalking. The BBC admitted it ignored their warnings.

Former BBC presenter Alex Belfield. (Photo: PA Media)

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has issued a “full and unreserved apology" to four former female employees, acknowledging that it failed to adequately protect them from a local radio presenter who was later jailed for stalking Jeremy Vine.

Alex Belfield, a former host on BBC Radio Leeds, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison in 2022 after being found guilty of a stalking campaign targeting four individuals, including Vine. The BBC has now expressed its “deep sorrow" to the four women who were subjected to years of abuse by Belfield, according to a report in The Guardian.

While Belfield was acquitted of stalking Helen Thomas, Rozina Breen, Liz Green, and Stephanie Hirst, the judge concluded that they had been personally targeted in a “campaign of revenge," which left them all requiring psychological support. Belfield was also given an indefinite restraining order barring him from contacting the women.

The BBC admitted that it did not take the women’s early warnings seriously enough. “People who work for the BBC are often in the public eye and under scrutiny, but it is unacceptable for anyone to be the target of sustained abuse, as Rozina Breen, Elizabeth Green, Stephanie Hirst, and Helen Thomas were over several years," it said.

“We recognise that before 2019, we simply did not do enough to understand the full impact of Alex Belfield’s unacceptable behaviour on these staff members. For that, we are deeply sorry and offer a full and unreserved apology."

The broadcaster added that it had since expanded its mental wellbeing resources for staff and improved its internal investigative processes. “We are now significantly better equipped to manage these issues, but we will never be complacent," it stated.

The apology comes at a time when the BBC is facing increasing scrutiny over its handling of staff and complaints. The corporation has already admitted it “fell short" after uncovering evidence of “bullying and misogynistic" behaviour by former Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood. Last year, it also apologised to the parents of a young person who had lodged a complaint about disgraced BBC presenter Huw Edwards, acknowledging that it should have acted more swiftly.

Green, who received the apology years after she first raised concerns about Belfield, said his actions had caused her to live with constant fear. “I expected the BBC to use available laws to stop it, for us to be listened to and cared for," she said. “For over a decade, that did not happen. They have apologised for that and say lessons have been learnt. Every employer must protect their staff. The four of us were high-profile women in the north. We have all since left the BBC."

Vine supported the BBC’s apology, adding that the women had initially been advised to “ignore and delete" thousands of abusive emails. “The advice should have been ‘log and keep’," he said. “Because of this bad advice, incriminating material that could have increased Belfield’s sentence was lost to the court.

“The BBC only began to take the case seriously when Tony Hall and Tim Davie took charge. I hope this statement from the BBC, along with any compensation, helps these four survivors move past this dreadful case."

News world BBC ‘Deeply Sorry’ For Not Doing Much For Women Staffers Abused By Ex-Presenter