Ex-presenter says: ‘I was target of Belfield video’
A YOUTUBE video by a man accused of stalking was considered “a hurtful parody” by an EX-BBC radio presenter.
Stephanie Hirst, who transitioned from male to female in 2014, went on to present the same radio show Alex Belfield had on BBC Radio Leeds after his contract was not renewed.
Belfield allegedly accused the BBC of hiring her for a “box- ticking exercise”, claimed the prosecution at his Nottingham Crown Court trial.
The 42-year-old, of Shaldon Close in Mapperley, denies eight counts of stalking on eight different people between 2012 and 2021, including Ms Hirst, journalist Jeremy Vine, who works for BBC Radio 2 and Channel 5, and BBC Radio Northampton’s Bernie Keith.
But when questioned by police, Belfield told them he was the subject of a witch hunt, was a thorn in the BBC’S side – and was not guilty of any of the allegations against him.
In relation to Ms Hirst, a former Capital, BBC Radio Leeds and BBC Radio Manchester presenter, one claim involved him making a Youtube video mocking her, entitled “Fanny On The Tranny”, before copying more than 100 BBC members of staff into an email with the video attached.
Ms Hirst had just appeared in a podcast called The Naked Podcast, on which she explained to a jury how it was, “three of us laid on a bed talking about our bodies”, adding: “We all look at our bodies in different ways.”
Four days later, Belfied is alleged to have uploaded the video – which did not name her – on to Youtube. As a result, Ms Hirst then saw the Fanny On The Tranny video.
On Tuesday, David Aubrey QC, a courtappointed defence advocate, asked her: “Did you regard that as being a parody?” She replied from the witness box: “Absolutely – it was a parody of me.”
Later, she referred to it in her evidence as, “a hurtful parody” and “parodying me”, “transphobic”, and “hurtful at the same time”. John Mcguinness QC, prosecuting, said as he opened the case to the jury how “Stephanie Hirst found Mr Belfield’s conduct towards her to be sickening, misogynistic and transphobic.
“She became much more hesitant on air because of Mr Belfield.
“She says his abuse was ferocious and relentless.
“She has had to develop coping mechanisms to ensure that she suffers no more emotional harm.”
Belfield is accused of leading a “campaign of harassment” against individuals after being let go by the BBC.
The trial continues.