A man has appeared in Liverpool Crown Court today after being accused of stalking the TV judge over a six-year period, which left the TV judge feeling extremely fearful
A man has been in court to plead guilty to stalking Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas over a six-year period that had left her feeling fearful.
Kyle Shaw, of Whetstone Lane in Birkenhead, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court where he pleaded guilty to the offence between August 31, 2017 and November 29, 2023. The 37-year-old defendant also admitted to possession of a quantity of cannabis.
The court heard that Shaw had continually made unwanted attempts to get in touch with 64-year-old Ballas, who split with her partner last year, as well as posting on social media about her – including one post of her house. They also heard he had monitored her closely online including attempts to see her on her book tour.
He had also attempted to make contact with her family, friends and work colleagues. According to the charge, he caused Ballas “serious alarm or distress, which had a substantial adverse effect on her usual day-to-day activities”.
Shaw has been given conditional bail not to contact Ballas or her partner. At Liverpool Crown Court, Judge Woodhall told Shaw: “You have pleaded guilty. I am going to call for the Probation Service to prepare a pre-sentence report. I am going to adjourn this case to the 1st of April. You can have your conditional bail on the same terms.
“I want you to firmly understand this. Adjourning this case and giving you bail is not to be taken as an indication of what that sentence will be. There is a very real risk of an immediate custodial sentence.”
He has been given a sentencing date to appear at Liverpool Crown Court on April 1.
On The Mirror’s Invite Only podcast, Ballas admitted that the alleged stalking had left her fearful and that she had increased her security precautions. She said: “I always have George, the guy who’s driven me for the last five years, get out of the car first, always scanning. I wouldn’t say it’s the healthiest thing.
“You know, I like to be kind of like a free bird, but we’re coming into times now where you have to be more vigilant of yourself. I am a very vigilant person. When I go out, I’m careful not to go alone.”
The former competitive dance, originally from Wallasey and dubbed the ‘Queen of Latin’ has been a staple on the show since taking over the head-judge role from Len Goodman in 2017.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
