Journalist admits stalking George Osborne and his wife Thea Rogers
A freelance journalist has admitted following former chancellor George Osborne and his wife Thea Rogers for more than a year.
Prosecutors said Lydia Suffield, 29, sent email and Instagram messages to the couple between June 8, 2022, and July 5, 2023, and made false referrals to children’s charity NSPCC.
He had previously denied two allegations of stalking involving serious alarm or distress in breach of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.
He again pleaded not guilty to the charges at Isleworth Crown Court in West London on Thursday, but admitted two lesser charges of stalking.
Prosecutor Paul Jarvis KC said there would be no hearing on the more serious charges, which would remain on file.
Rhianne Neil, prosecuting at the hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in December 2024, said that Suffield’s colleagues, as well as the couple’s close friends and family, had also been contacted.
Stating that Suffield’s allegations against the couple included drug use, Suffield said that the defendant sent them a gift that was said to be for their young children.
Suffield, a freelance journalist from Liverpool, was granted bail on condition he has no contact with the couple and will be sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on July 3.
Mr. Osborne married former consultant Ms. Rogers on July 8, 2023.
