Man obsessed with BBC's Emily Maitlis is jailed for five years
Ms Maitlis described her husband finding Vines on their doorstep, her children needing to be escorted to the school bus, and 'upsetting interactions' with her 92-year-old mother
Emily Maitlis, British journalist, documentary filmmaker, and former newsreader for the BBC
An obsessed serial stalker of former BBC Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis has been jailed for five years after breaching his restraining order by sending the broadcaster and her parents letters from prison. Nottingham Crown Court heard that Edward Vines was 'distraught' that his friendship with Ms Maitlis ended three months after he told her he loved her while they were at university in Cambridge together, but his offending since has made Ms Maitlis feel 'vulnerable and worried'.
Vines, who refused to attend his sentencing hearing on Thursday, sent envelopes, sometimes containing more than one letter, addressed to Ms Maitlis and her relatives which were intercepted by prison staff at HMP Lowdham Grange in Nottinghamshire, where he was serving a sentence for previous harassment. The 55-year-old, who represented himself in the trial, denied three counts of breaching a restraining order and one count of attempting to breach a restraining order between May 2023 and February 2024 but was convicted of all offences by a jury in May.
He addressed more than 20 letters to Ms Maitlis and her family over a 10-month period and phoned his brother in July 2023 asking him to contact her mother Marion Maitlis. The court heard that Vines has 13 previous convictions for 28 offences dating back to 2002 'almost all of which concern harassment or breach of a restraining order' relating to Ms Maitlis.
In a short victim personal statement read to the court by prosecutor Fergus Malone, Ms Mailtis wrote: 'For over 30 years I have been living with the consequences of the persistent and unwanted attention of this individual. I feel especially vulnerable and worried when the matter comes to trial. The idea that he might be bailed is deeply worrying and I would be very concerned for my safety and the safety of my family.'
Ms Maitlis also described her husband finding Vines on their doorstep, her children needing to be escorted to the school bus, and 'upsetting interactions' with her 92-year-old mother. Part of an interview she did with Radio 5 Live in 2018 was also read to the court, in which she described feeling 'paranoia' and said the harassment feels like a 'chronic illness'.
Sentencing Vines in his absence, Judge Mark Watson said: 'It is a tragedy that I once again have to deal with Edward Vines for breaking the restraining order imposed to stop him having contact with Emily Maitlis and her family. He has shown complete contempt for this order. His contact with her is harassment of her whatever the content of his letters may be.
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'In this case she (Ms Maitlis) has been fearful for three decades. In 2018 she described the effects of the fear she felt as a result of Edward Vines's behaviour. It was described by her as like a chronic illness. Because of the history of this case, I regard each single letter as a very serious breach. These were also letters that did not get through. They were not threatening or meant as abusive.
'I do accept that because of his mental health issues there is some reduction to his culpability. He was, however, capable of making rational decisions. He is a very bright and articulate man – he could have been many things. His obsession with Emily Maitlis has tortured him without release.
'He has wasted more than two decades of his life and regrettably he is set to waste more of it in custody.'
The judge added that Vines's imprisonment is the 'only thing stopping him from contacting the Maitlis family directly'.
Mr Malone told the jury during the trial that Vines wrote a letter addressed to Ms Maitlis, who co-hosts The News Agents podcast, which said: 'I took the audacity of writing to you despite the restraining order because I'm still distraught about what took place between us in 1990.
'I regularly suffer depression over it and have for 30 years. I admit I'm not sure why I suffer so, but suffer I do.'
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The restraining order was put in place on September 5 2022 when Vines was convicted of eight counts of breaching a restraining order and he was jailed for eight years.
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