Man weeps after being found guilty of stalking Dame Penny Mordaunt

A erstwhile councillor has been recovered blameworthy of stalking Dame Penny Mordaunt but acquitted of the much superior offence of stalking involving superior alarm oregon distress.

A assemblage convicted Edward Brandt, 61, of the lesser complaint by a bulk of 10 to 2 pursuing a proceedings astatine Southampton Crown Court.

Brandt wept and held his hands implicit his look aft helium heard the verdicts.

The tribunal heard the former Conservative furniture minister believed helium was a "real threat" and feared "sexual violence".

The proceedings was told that Brandt sent astatine slightest 17 emails and 3 telephone messages to Ms Mordaunt, arsenic good arsenic turning up astatine her Portsmouth constituency bureau retired of hours betwixt 11 September 2023 and 12 May 2024.

Brandt, who lived connected the Isle of Wight astatine the time, failed to comply with the presumption of a conditional caution issued successful April 2024 which required him to implicit a unfortunate consciousness people and not to interaction Dame Penny, the proceedings heard.

The divorced father-of-two, who present lives successful Lymington, Hampshire, past near 2 voicemail messages for her connected 6 and 10 May, and successful 1 of the messages, helium said: "I americium going to spell connected mildly knocking astatine your doorway successful bid to shingle your hand, I americium not giving up."

Brandt, who worked arsenic a nonrecreational sailor, was besides made taxable to an interim stalking extortion bid astatine Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court connected 16 July 2024.

Dame Penny said successful a connection to constabulary that she "feared intersexual violence" due to the fact that of the defendant's "creepy" behaviour.

Judge William Mousley KC adjourned the lawsuit for a pre-sentence study to beryllium prepared connected Brandt, a erstwhile councillor for East Hampshire District Council, and released him connected conditional bail until the sentencing proceeding connected 16 January.

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'This antheral was a existent threat'

Dame Penny, who was affectional astatine times, told the court: "I person been a parliamentarian for 14 years and during that clip I person had to woody with each kinds of threats and issues.

"I person a batch of beingness acquisition and dealing with susceptible radical oregon radical who are mentally unwell oregon unusual successful different way, and I judge this antheral was a existent menace to maine and inactive is."

Explaining wherefore helium wanted to conscionable the Conservative Party enactment candidate, Brandt told the court: "I wanted to commiserate with her for not getting the apical occupation successful the autumn, I deliberation she would inactive person been premier curate if she had been.

"I wanted to congratulate her due to the fact that she was a reforming person of the Commons, I wanted to congratulate her connected the coronation, chat to her astir her clip successful office, person her motion a transcript of her book.

"It was wholly governmental and wholly harmless."

Brandt, who said that helium had been diagnosed arsenic having ADHD and being connected the autism spectrum, said that helium had not had responses from Dame Penny's bureau astir his requests to conscionable her, and added: "I wasn't getting a reply, I harmlessly kept trying."