Rav Wilding stalker avoids jail

A woman who bombarded Crimewatch presenter Rav Wilding with abusive internet messages has avoided jail again despite breaching the conditions of her suspended prison sentence.

West Bromwich Magistrates Court yesterday could have enforced the 20-week suspended jail sentence Toneeta Beckford was given earlier this year.

Instead, magistrates chose to extend an 18-month supervision order to 24 months.

But despite avoiding prison, Beckford, of New Hope Road in Smethwick, was unhappy with the punishment.

"I think it is unfair," the 24-year-old said after the hearing. They should have just left it as it was."

The court heard how Beckford had attended just two out of five supervision appointments.

She initially denied failing to comply with the conditions of the suspended sentence but changed her plea to guilty.

Paul Selby, defending, said she did not think she had to attend the appointments because she had appealed against the sentence given at Warley Magistrates Court in April.

"You have to have an element of sympathy," he said. "We have a situation here where a person who has an actual prison sentence is in a better position than a person who receives a suspended sentence because they can be released on bail."

Chairman of the bench Christine Jones was also persuaded to avoid a custodial sentence by probation representative Davinia Riley, who said this action would be pointless.

"Activity requirement would be more beneficial than sending her to prison," said Ms Riley.

Beckford attracted national media attention after being found guilty of harassing Mr Wilding using Facebook and Twitter over a three month period.

Mr Wilding was so concerned by the messages that he increased security levels at the BBC.

Many of them included references to Allah and "judgment day". One message stated he would be "begging Allah for mercy" while another said: "I hope you bite your tongue eating jelly babies."

Mr Selby said his client had struggled to cope with the level of interest in the trial and had suffered depression in the aftermath of the sentence.