‘Stalker used scaffolding to peer into home of Radio 6 DJ’
‘Racially abused his wife’
A PHOTOGRAPHER climbed up scaffolding in an attempt to see into the home of a BBC radio DJ she is accused of stalking, a court heard yesterday.
Sarah Jane Rook, 43, also screamed ‘You will die’ at Radio 6 Music presenter Gilles Peterson and racially abused his Japanese wife, Atsuko, 53, magistrates were told.
Prosecutor Callum Morgan said Rook turned up at the couple’s home in north London posing as a charity worker and attacked 55year-old Mr Peterson’s car with a pole during a month-long campaign against the couple.
Thames Magistrates’ Court heard Rook harassed the couple by attending their address in Stoke Newington, north- east London, threatening the pair and going to both of their places of work. She is also accused of making racially aggravated threats to Mr Peterson’s wife, calling her a ‘Hiroshima b****’ and turning up at her office.
Rook, who describes herself as a freelance photographer and journalist, is also accused of racially abusing the police officer who arrested her.
Mr Morgan said Rook went to Mr Peterson’s home on five occasions, at one point ranting that he was a ‘rapist’.
He added: ‘On March 6 she posed as a charity worker. On March 7 she climbed up some scaffolding at an address across the street.’
Rook also struck a car belonging to Mr Peterson, who is originally from France, with a pole on March 8, it was said.
The following week she went to another address owned by Mr Peterson, who was born Gilles Jerome Moehrle, where she again shouted abuse.
Mr Morgan also told the court that when Rook was arrested, ‘she was racist to the arresting police officer’.
Rook appeared before magistrates on March 18 and was given conditional bail, the court heard.
However, she then breached the terms of her bail ‘by being in an area she was not meant to be,’ said Mr Morgan.
He added that Rook showed up at Mr Peterson’s place of work on March 21.
Two days later the DJ alerted police after spotting Rook near his home.
Mr Peterson, who was awarded an MBE in 2004, has founded two labels called Acid Jazz and Talkin’ Loud.
In 2006 he opened his current label, Brownswood Recordings, and stages a world music festival in the south of France every July.
He is currently best known for his BBC Radio 6 Music weekend slots covering a wide range of genres, including soul, hip-hop, house, Afro, Latin and jazz.
Rook, of Surbiton, Surrey, appeared in court via video link from HMP Bronzefield.
She denies stalking, harassment and two counts of religious aggravated harassment. She has been remanded in custody ahead of a summary trial to be heard by magistrates on May 19.