Billie Piper stalker jailed for 12 months after breaching prevention order

Philip Jerome, 49, from Winchester, was sentenced at Basingstoke magistrates after pleading guilty to four counts of breaching a stalking prevention order.

Winchester man jailed for stalking Billie Piper over eight-year campaign

A man who spent more than eight years trying to contact Billie Piper has been sentenced to 12 months in prison, The Guardian UK reports. Philip Jerome, 49, from Winchester, pleaded guilty to four counts of breaching a stalking prevention order at Basingstoke magistrates court.

Jerome had a sexual interest in the singer and actress and repeatedly attempted to reach her in the hope she would enter into a relationship with him, the court heard.

His fixation began years before formal legal intervention. He was first made subject to a restraining order in 2018 after attending Piper's home, posting cards through her door and sending letters. Within months he had already breached that order by sending Facebook messages to Piper's mother and sister, expressing a desire to meet them. He also returned to her home and made comments about her choice of partner.

In 2022, Jerome was jailed after attending a pop culture convention where Piper was present. He posed for a fan photograph with her twice on the same day, changing his clothing before approaching her a second time. When she recognised him, security removed him from the event. That same year, a stalking prevention order was imposed.

Police carried out an inspection of Jerome's devices in December 2025 and found four images of Piper saved on his phone. He had also tagged 11 posts and images on X relating to her. In one post he wrote: "I think I know which image probably made me fall for [Piper], the GQ awards, and made me want to meet her."

Prosecutor Anisa Alrubaie told the court there were several instances in which Jerome had attempted to communicate with Piper by tagging her on X. She noted that Piper's account was managed by a personal assistant who filtered out negative or unwanted content and did not routinely inform her of such posts.

District judge Kirsty Allman, sentencing Jerome, described his behaviour as delusional. "You have a sexual interest in Ms Piper," she said. "The motivation is to contact her in the hope she will engage in a relationship with you. This is delusional. You demonstrated an entrenched pattern of stalking and harassment offences, and failing to comply with court orders."

Defending, Caroline Bonavia acknowledged that Jerome had shown a lack of remorse and empathy, but said he had sought psychological support to address what she described as a pattern of obsessive and unsuccessful relationships. She also accepted that Piper had suffered as a result of Jerome's conduct over the years.

Source: The Guardian UK