Emily Maitlis' stalker ex-friend jailed for 26 years
A FORMER university friend of TV’s Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis was jailed for three years yesterday after stalking her for 26 years.
The stalker said he fell madly in love with Emily Maitlis
Edward Vines, 46, has an “unshakeable obsession” with Ms Maitlis, a judge said.
Over the past eight years Vines has repeatedly flouted restraining orders banning him from contacting the BBC broadcaster or her relatives.
They met in their first year at Queen’s College, Cambridge, in 1989.
“We became friends quickly,” Vines told Oxford Crown Court.
You’ve plagued her life and the life of her family
“At the time, I understood Emily Maitlis to be a platonic friend. Later, I perceived there was more.
“I fell in love with her. She was an extremely attractive young lady, very bright, sentimental and emotional. I felt compelled to tell her that.”
The friendship cooled in 1990 after Ms Maitlis “scorned” him, he said.
Vines admitted to breaching his restraining order last year but denied other instances
Vines, who is in a secure psychiatric hospital, claimed her rejection led to him suffering depression.
He wrote two letters to Ms Maitlis last year and also sent letters and emails to her mother.
He pleaded: “I need to speak to you if I’m to live my life in peace.”
In a statement read to the court, married mother-of-two Ms Maitlis, 45, said she did not read the letters.
The court heard Vines was leaving Maitlis' family in fear due to his actions
She said Vines’ name alone caused her to fear for her safety and that of her family.
Police were called and Vines was arrested.
Flanked by nurses, he insisted he did not currently have a mental illness, nor was he obsessed with Ms Maitlis.
He denied breaching the restraining order last year but admitted doing so this year.
The two met in 1989 in Queen's College in Cambridge
Judge Peter Ross told him: “You’ve never had any reasonable case to contact Ms Maitlis following the order.
“You have what appears to me a completely unshakeable obsession, underpinned by a delusion with regards to the relationship that had existed between you and Ms Maitlis.
“That’s absolutely clear in the letters you have written.”
He added: “You have known for 25 years that this woman wants nothing to do with you. You’ve plagued her life and the life of her family.”
Vines sent letters to the victims mother pleading to see her
Vines told the judge: “I will not write to Emily Maitlis or her mother, most likely ever again.”
But he added: “It’s early days.”
Judge Ross said: “That is not the unambiguous assurance I was seeking.”