Top Cops Nab BBC Stalker Alex Belfield
Detective Constable Janet Percival and disclosure officer Gary Dodd have landed a major win, putting disgraced ex-BBC presenter Alex Belfield behind bars for stalking.
Belfield targeted former colleagues, a celebrity, and two other men with vile online harassment. His relentless campaign finally ended when he was jailed for five-and-a-half years in September 2022 after a four-week trial at nottingham/" title="Nottingham" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked">Nottingham Crown Court.
Heroic Work Earns Top Police Award
For their tireless efforts, DC Percival and Gary Dodd scooped the Police Investigator of the Year award at the Nottinghamshire Police Force Awards. Detective Inspector Craig Hall nominated them for going above and beyond, professionally and emotionally, to bring justice to the victims.
“Within a very short period of time after being allocated the case, it became apparent that Belfield had been running online campaigns to terrorise multiple people,” said DI Hall.
“The case was far more serious and complex than first thought. After an early interview, Belfield escalated his attacks, posting dozens of YouTube videos targeting DC Percival and rallying his 300,000 followers to hurl abuse at her and certain BBC broadcasters.”
How They Cracked the Case
Undeterred, DC Percival teamed up with the BBC legal department to gather vital evidence—emails, videos, and social media posts targeting the broadcasters.
Gary Dodd took on the mammoth task of reviewing, indexing, and cataloguing over 3,000 items of material. Nearly every piece related to multiple victims, so each had to be carefully duplicated into individual disclosure bundles, meeting strict legal standards.
“Through painstaking work, DC Percival and Gary overcame repeated legal hurdles to compile and present enough evidence to lock Belfield up for a long stretch,” said DI Hall.
A Night to Remember at Sherwood Lodge
The dynamic duo was crowned at Nottinghamshire Police’s Force Awards held at Sherwood Lodge headquarters on April 25. Their detective work has set a high bar for police investigations.
Full list of winners is available in the event programme.
