Gordon Hawthorn, 69, (seen in an undated police mug shot) has been jailed for two years and six months for sending sick greeting cards to a BBC presenter
A stalker who sent a barrage of 'disgusting and frightening' greetings cards threatening to rape a BBC regional news presenter has been jailed for two years and six months.
Gordon Hawthorn, 69, previously admitted one charge of stalking involving serious alarm or distress to Alex Lovell, who works for BBC Points West.
Bristol Crown Court heard Hawthorn, of Street, Somerset, bombarded Ms Lovell with dozens of greetings cards - signed with a distinctive set of Xs - from 2012.
In January 2016, Hawthorn wrote that his New Year's resolution was to have sex with the presenter - with or without her consent.
He initially wrote the name 'Gordon' at the end of the cards but signed them 'your stalker' and 'your soon to be rapist' as they became more sinister.
He claimed he have got close enough in the street to smell her and was 'waiting for his chance to strike'.
Hawthorn's defence lawyer said he was venting his frustration after 34 years in a sexless relationship.
Judge Martin Picton jailed Hawthorn for two years and six months and imposed an indefinite restraining order, banning him from contacting Ms Lovell or going to the BBC's regional centre on Whiteladies Road in Bristol.
'People in the public eye are entitled to the same respect and privacy as everyone else in society,' the judge told Hawthorn.
'The fact that someone has a high profile does not mean that it can be open season for people such as yourself.
'You need to understand, as does the public in general, that serious consequences result from appalling behaviour of that kind that features in this case.'
Bristol Crown Court heard Hawthorn, of Street, Somerset, bombarded Alex Lovell (pictured on November 29 last year) with dozens of greetings cards - signed with a distinctive set of Xs - from 2012
One of the cards, sent on Valentine's Day on an unknown year, said 'your secret admirer has now become your stalker'
The judge told Hawthorn that his cards, sent to the BBC on Whiteladies Road, caused Ms Lovell both distress and fear.
'For two years she could never be sure that she was safe,' the judge told Hawthorn.
'Ms Lovell would have an awareness, whenever she was on screen, that the author of those letters was watching and thinking the kind of thoughts that you expressed in your messages to her.
'When out and about she could never be sure that the author of the cards was not spying on her or posing a threat to her safety.
'What you threatened to do to her was designed to and did cause her to feel disgusted, frightened and miserable.'
Ms Lovell contacted Avon and Somerset Police in January 2016, following the threat to rape her in a New Year card.
The card, received on January 12, read: 'Make no mistake Alex that I am going to have sex with you this year, even if it means I have to rape you.'
After reporting the matter, Ms Lovell received further cards - including dates when Hawthorn claimed he would rape her.
On November 29 in 2017, Hawthorn wrote that he had previously raped other women and kept their underwear as a trophy.
Police issued a public appeal about the cards in March 2018 and a barmaid at a local pub came forward to say she had received one that was similar.
In another card, the date of which is also not known, Hawthorn described himself as 'your rapist'
Another card, in which the stalker signed off with 'lots of love and birthday kisses, Gordon'
One of the letters Hawthorn sent showed two owls snuggling up to each other on a branch
Hawthorn was caught after DNA tests matched with two of the cards sent to Ms Lovell.
His sentencing hearing heard how Lovell 'took the brunt' of Hawthorn's sexual frustration.
Catherine Spedding, mitigating, said: 'He has been in a relationship for approximately 34 years with his partner, but this has never been a sexual relationship, beyond kissing and cuddling.
Hawthorn arrives at Bristol Crown Court for sentencing today
'As a result, he has vented his sexual frustrations elsewhere - and unfortunately, Ms Lovell took the brunt of that.'
However, his actions were part of a 'fantasy' and he never intended to hurt the BBC Points West newsreader, she added.
In a victim personal statement, Ms Lovell said she felt as if she had been 'punched in the stomach' when she received the first rape threat.
She experienced panic attacks due to the stress caused by Hawthorn's cards and used an app called HollieGuard, developed by the Hollie Gazzard Trust, for safety.
Miss Gazzard, 20, was murdered by her ex-partner in the hairdressers where she worked in Gloucester in 2014.
Following his arrest, Hawthorn told police he would never have acted on the threats he made to Ms Lovell.
Officers praised her bravery and said it had taken courage to report the cards.
Ms Lovell hosted Brainteaser on Channel Five in 2002 after working on a live shopping channel.
She has been presenting on BBC Points West since 2005.
Several other cards included illustrations of other animals, such as a cat (left) and a hare (right)
Several of the letters, including this one sent on Valentine's Day one year, included this symbol
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https://hienalouca.com/2019/01/03/stalker-69-who-sent-cards-threatening-rape-to-bbc-presenter-is-jailed/
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Gordon Hawthorn, 69, (seen in an undated police mug shot) has been jailed for two years and six months for sending sick greeting cards to a BBC presenter
A stalker who sent a barrage of ‘disgusting and frightening’ greetings cards threatening to rape a BBC regional news ...
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Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves Online news HienaLouca
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