Stalker admits threatening BBC presenter with barrage of cards
A MAN has admitted sending a barrage of threatening greetings cards to a BBC regional news presenter.
Gordon Hawthorn, 68, pleaded guilty to one charge of stalking involving serious alarm or distress to Alex Lovell, who works for BBC
The defendant, of Street, Somerset, appeared before Bristol Magistrates’ Court and admitted sending the cards to Ms Lovell between January 1 2016 and March 16 this year.
Magistrates told Hawthorn his offending required a “greater punishment” and will be dealt with by a crown court judge in January.
Prosecuting, May Li told the court: “The complainant in this case is a high profile television presenter who works for BBC Points West.
“Since 2012, Ms Lovell has been receiving greetings cards addressed to her at the BBC, from an individual who signed the cards ‘Gordon’.
“Initially, these were infatuated comments about Ms Lovell and they would be received frequently and on key dates, such as Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day and her birthday.”
Ms Li said the cards were addressed to the BBC at its regional centre on Whiteladies Road, Bristol, and sent with a Bristol sorting office stamp, meaning they could have been sent from anywhere across the South-West.
They were usually signed “Gordon” with five crosses, one large X and four small Xs around it.
The cards were always written in capitals and often had an animal pictured on the front, regularly cats.
By January 12 in 2016, the language and tone of the cards changed and they became “more sexual and threatening”, Ms Li said.
Ms Lovell and the BBC security team, who had been aware of the issue, contacted Avon and Somerset Police.
Detective Constable Patrick Prescott, of Avon and Somerset Police, described the messages sent to Ms Lovell as “graphic and frightening”.