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A GB News presenter has spoken about the impact being stalked for the past 16 months had on her mental health.
Ellie Costello thanked fans for their kind ways as she opened up about the ‘scary ordeal’ on social media on Thursday.
The TV star says she was left fearing for her safety and experiencing panic attacks, after a man who appeared virtually on her GB News show stalked her and sent her multiple messages for over a year.
Ellie shared her story following Leo Jones, 41, being given a five-year restraining order and a suspended jail sentence at St Albans Magistrates Court on Thursday.
The GB News says she never met Mr Jones in the flesh but interviewed him on her show over Zoom before he started showing up at her filming locations.
Ellie recalls Mr Jones making into GB News studios at 5am on one occasion, but she was not at work that day.
“I was crying in the witness room before I came into court today, it took everything in my body to do it but I wanted the court to hear me in person in my own words what this has done to me,” she told the MailOnline on Thursday.
Taking to her Twitter account the same day Mr Jones received the order, Ellie posted a lengthy thread recalling her experience and shared resources to help other victims of stalking.
Ellie’s statement on social media begins with: “For the past 16 months I have been stalked by a man I have never met but who thought he knew me from through a TV screen.
“Today, he was sentenced and given a 5 year restraining order. I feel an intense sense of relief but the experience has caused me to experience huge paranoia, anxiety and distress.”
It continues: “Despite being in a courtroom many times for work, I have never been involved in a court case. Earlier today I read my victim impact statement from behind a screen. I felt it was important to appear in person and describe in my own words how the past 16 months have affected me.”
Ellie went on to thank her family, friends, colleague and employer for their support in the statement, and explains how they all helped her gather evidence to get the case to court.
The statement then goes on to address Ellie’s concerns about how many women experience similar ordeals.
“Stalking continues to be a vastly underreported crime. But 1 in 5 women in the UK experience it,” Ellie writes.
“I let unwarranted and inappropriate messages and unsolicited visits to my workplace go on for far too long before I reported my stalker to the police If a person’s behaviour is making you feel uncomfortable then you should report it as soon as possible.
“Women specifically have a tendency to make excuses for a person’s behaviour- ‘maybe they’re not well, maybe they’re lonely’- and not think enough about the impact it is having on their own mental health.”
The statement continues to recommend a podcast made by a fellow victim of stalking who is also a journalist, before Ellie claims “stalking is very common in this industry”.
Ellie’s statement shared on social media concludes with: “I count myself lucky that my case has been dealt with relatively quickly and that I never came to any physical harm.
“But the reality is that many victims of stalking are victims for several years, and if stalkers are not stopped their obsession can become sinister, perhaps even fatal. It’s important we talk about stalking, and it’s important that it’s stopped as early as possible.
“Paladin is an excellent charity which supports victims of stalking. You can find them and other helpful resources here; www.paladinservice.co.uk.”
Alastair Stewart, who works with Ellie at GB News, quote-tweeted his colleague’s Twitter thread to his own followers on Friday alongside a number of love-heart emojis.
BBC Political Correspondent Ione Wells told her followers: “Please do read this important thread by my utterly brilliant friend Ellie about the horrific impacts of stalking on someone’s everyday life and work.”
Mr Jones pleaded guilty causing Ellie serious alarm, distress and mental anguish and was given a 26-week custodial sentence, suspended for two years, and a five-year restraining order.
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