Emily Maitlis stalker jailed for breaching restraining order

Edward Vines – who stalked BBC News presenter Emily Maitlis for over two decades – has been jailed.

The 47-year-old breached a restraining order by writing to the BBC journalist while he was behind bars and later out on licence.

They first met when they were students at Cambridge University in 1989.

Emily said she had been left “jumpy around strangers”.

In a victim impact report read to the court, Maitlis, who was not present, said:

“When I heard that Edward Vines had breached his restraining order I felt scared and let down — let down because it meant that even within the prison system the perpetrator was able to reach me.

“It has affected my relationship with my husband, who is frustrated that we cannot get to the bottom of this problem, even though we have been tackling it through the CPS and courts for over 20 years, and it has scared my children who thought the threat had gone away — albeit while he was temporarily behind bars.

“It has affected my ability to work — I am constantly thinking of where I am being sent and whether he will be attempting to track me down.” The journalist said she was “jumpy” around strangers and worried about coming home late, adding: “This man remains a threat in my life and my family’s life.

“My ability to do my work, hang out with my children, and lead a normal family life without constant suspicion and fear has been badly damaged.”

Judge Peter Ross, who sentenced Vines to 45 months, said the repeated contact amounted to “psychological torture”.