‘Obsessive’ Billie Piper stalker Philip Jerome jailed

An “obsessive” fan with a “sexual interest” in Billie Piper has been jailed for 12 months for breaching a stalking prevention order designed to protect the ex-pop singer and Doctor Who star.

Philip Jerome, of Winchester, Hampshire, appeared at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on his 49th birthday after pleading guilty to four breach charges.

The court heard authoritiescarried out an inspection of his devices on 27 December, finding four images of Piper saved on his phone, and that he had tagged 11 posts and images on X relating to her on four days that month.

Defence attorneyCaroline Bonavia statedhe had had a recent autism diagnosis and had sought psychological support over “obsessive” relationships.

The court was told Jerome had been made subject to a restraining order in 2018 after attending Piper’s home address, posting cards through her door and sending letters by post to her.

He then breached the order in December that year by sending messages on Facebook to her mother and sister “expressing a wish for them to meet up” as well as for attending Piper’s home and making comments about her choice of partner.

Police also found ring binders at his home containing newspaper clippings, details of events and other merchandise, the court heard.

Jerome was jailed for 12 months in 2022 for a breach of the restraining order by turning up at a Comic-Con convention where he posed for a photograph with Piper twice on the same day.

Security ejected him from the event after Piper had recognised him on the second occasion, the court was told.

The defendant had also been convicted of harassment against a female friend dating back to 2012 by “sleeping outside her address in the woods”.