Senior female employees accuse BBC of apathy in DJ harassment case

Senior female employees of the BBC have accused the management of ignoring them during their 10-year-long legal battle against former local radio jockey Alex Belfield,who was jailed for harassing them online.

The women claimed that the BBCrefused to act on their complaint until a high-profile man, Jeremy Vine— an English television and radio personality—was subjected to harassment by Belfield.

They have been demanding an independent probe into the conduct of the BBC management, even though the latter has assured to conduct an internal review "to establish what lessons can be learned".

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Belfield, 42, was found guilty by a Nottingham court and subsequently jailed in September for five years for stalking four men, including presenter Jeremy Vine.

However, he was found not guilty of stalking and harassment against four other complainants—all of whom are females.

Belfield was said to hold a grudge against the women after he was sacked from Radio Leeds in 2011, where they all worked at one time.

Judge Pushpinder SinghSaini saidthat Belfield “weaponised the internet” by recruiting an “army of followers” to join in his abuse, which amplified the abuse and “is in many respects more serious than a conventional stalker”.

However, in the case of the women, Justice Saini ruled that the four women were targeted by Belfield in “a personal campaign of revenge”.

One of the women victims, Liz Green, expressed disappointment over the conduct of the BBC and the manner in which they refused to let an independent probe to be conducted as demanded by them.

“This is so deeply disappointing but no surprise,” the Guardian quoted Green, who is negotiating a departure from the BBC.

“On one level, whatever they offer to do about four women left exposed to threat and ignored for 10 years, it’s come far too late. On another, their refusal for an independent inquiry is shocking. There is no BBC stalking policy as we speak. It could be interpreted as a reluctance to expose systemic failings and a complete failure in duty of care. Perhaps that independent review would expose those at the very top (men) who left us exposed.”

(With inputs from agencies)

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