A MAN who sent Ammanford-born One Show presenter Alex Jones a series of vulgar tweets in a 17-month long harassment campaign was given a restraining order on Monday (Feb 8).
Shane Goldsmith, 44 and homeless, was accused of sending The One Show host messages on Twitter and also expressing his love to her while visiting a filming at BBC Broadcasting House.
Miss Jones, 38, was due to give evidence against her alleged stalker from behind a screen at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
She was fearful of appearing at court and left ‘nervous, anxious and vulnerable’ by his actions.
The CPS instead offered no evidence against him on the condition he accepts a restraining order.
Miss Jones was said to be ‘happy’ with the course of action, as she and the other witnesses did not appear in the court room.
Goldsmith, who resides at mental health hospital Cygnet Hospital in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, is not to contact Miss Jones, her fiancé Charlie Thomson, and her parents Alun and Mary Jones.
The campaign of harassment against the Welsh presenter, lasted between April 1 2014, and September 20 2015.
He sent tweets to her account, @MissAlexJones, saying she has “fantastic #t***s” and inviting the “darling lovely lady” for a fry-up.
He was also accused of verbally abusing her colleagues after turning up at a recording of one of her shows in BBC Broadcasting House, in Portland Place, west London.
Goldsmith accepted that he sent a “number of public tweets over a number of months, and accepts with hindsight that this contact was unwanted”.
He also accepted he was outside BBC Broadcasting House “on a number of occasions” which caused Miss Jones “harassment, alarm and distress”.
The restraining order was imposed to prevent further harassment.
Senior District Judge Howard Riddle heard how he had 31 previous convictions for 62 offences.
Nicola Flint, for the prosecution, said: “The most appropriate way to deal with this is by way of a restraining order being imposed. The defendant will accept that restraining order.
“We have discussed this with the complainant and she is happy with this course of action.
“On this basis the Crown offers no evidence.”
The judge said: “The court considered the matter independently and saw from the agreed facts that the appellant was akin to harassment.
“The long and short of it is you are found not guilty of a criminal offence but you are to have a restraining order.
“I am glad you are having the care in hospital. You have been there for some months and will be there for some time to come.”
He banned Goldsmith from approaching her as well as from going to Miss Jones’ home or places of work.
Miss Jones was born in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, and presented Welsh-language shows for the BBC before succeeding Christine Bleakley to co-present The One Show in August 2010.
Goldsmith denied one count of harassment between April 1, 2014, and September 20, 2015.
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