"Edward Brandt, 61, sent multiple emails and phone messages to Dame Penny and also turned up at her Portsmouth office out-of-hours in a bid to meet her. In November, a jury at Southampton Crown Court found him guilty of stalking, but cleared him of a more serious charge of stalking involving serious alarm or distress. In a victim impact statement, Dame Penny, who was an MP from 2010 to 2024, said she had suffered "huge anxiety and distress" and was living in constant fear of a confrontation."
"Brandt, a former councillor from Lymington, Hampshire, was arrested in March 2024 and given a conditional caution the following month, requiring him not to contact Dame Penny, but he then left two voicemail messages for her. The court heard in one of the messages, he said: "I am going to go on gently knocking at your door in order to shake your hand, I am not giving up." Brandt, a former elected member of East Hampshire District Council, claimed he wanted to commiserate with her over her failed leadership bid."
"He added: "I wanted to congratulate her because she was a reforming leader of the Commons, I wanted to congratulate her on the coronation, chat to her about her time in office, have her sign a copy of her book. "It was entirely political and entirely harmless." Dame Penny said in a statement to police she "feared sexual violence" because of Brandt's "creepy" behaviour."
Edward Brandt, 61, repeatedly contacted former MP Dame Penny Mordaunt by emails, phone messages and by turning up at her Portsmouth office outside hours between 11 September 2023 and 12 May 2024. He was arrested in March 2024 and given a conditional caution forbidding contact, but he then left voicemail messages insisting he would keep trying to meet her. A jury at Southampton Crown Court convicted him of stalking in November but acquitted him of a more serious charge involving serious alarm or distress. Dame Penny reported huge anxiety, fear of sexual violence, increased security and police protection; Brandt received a 20-week jail sentence.
Read at www.bbc.com
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