Pensioner, 70, despatched photographs of his genitals to star athlete throughout stalking marketing campaign
An old man who sent a picture of his genitals to a professional athlete left the star feeling ‘anxious’ and that she could ‘trust strangers’ after subjecting her to a campaign of stalking
The pensioner sent a creepy photo of his genitals, the court heard(Image: Internet Unknown)
A pensioner who stalked a famous athlete and TV presenter sent the victim photos of his genitals.
Simon Birdseye, 70, was described as having sent a series of social media messages to the star before sending the explicit issue non-consensually via email, according to a report in The Sun.
He is said to have bombarded the unnamed TV presenter and ex-athlete via Facebook, before managing to get his hands on her personal email address. The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, told the court that the campaign of harassment had left her less able to trust people and more anxious.
The unnamed victim was a professional athlete (Image: Getty Images)
She said: “I am far less trusting with strangers, which has changed my character in a way I don’t like.” The pensioner admitted to sending the picture, which contained his genitals, and that he did so with intent “to cause alarm, distress or humiliation.”
District Judge Matthew Bone described Birdseye’s grim actions as having led to “serious harm to a sportswoman going about her lawful business”.
Birdseye was sentenced to eight weeks in prison, which was suspended for 18 months, at Ipswich Magistrates’ Court. He has also been handed an order which prohibits him from contacting his victim in any way.
Birdseye was sentenced to eight weeks in prison, which was suspended for 18 months,(Image: Cambridge News)
In 2024, a study found that almost 17% of athletes had experienced incidents related to stalking and cyber-stalking. The Centre for Safe Sport found that around one in six athletes said they had been spied on, watched or followed by somebody they did not want watching or following them.
Around one in 10 said somebody had tracked or monitored their activities or location using software or a device on their phone or computer.
In the UK specifically, around one in five women and around one in 11 men will experience stalking in their life time, with around 1.4 million Brits believed to have suffered the horrific practice in 2025 alone, according to the Office of National Statistics.
Police data does show a rise in incidents of stalking over the last few years, however officials stress this may be due to “changes in recording practices and counting rules” and not necessarily a worsening problem.
If you believe you are being stalked, contact the National Stalking Helpline for free and confidential advice on 0808 802 0300 or visit suzylamplugh.org
Call 999 if you or somebody else is in immediate danger.
