A former councillor has been jailed for 20 weeks after stalking former cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt, who said she feared sexual violence. Edward Brandt, a professional sailor, was found guilty of stalking but acquitted of a more serious charge.
The court heard Brandt sent at least 17 emails and three phone messages to Mordaunt, and turned up at her Portsmouth constituency office out-of-hours between September 2023 and May 2024. He was also sentenced for seven breaches of a stalking protection order, which included failing to notify police of devices capable of internet access and failing to report social media accounts.
In a victim impact statement, Mordaunt said she was 'completely exhausted due to the stress' and felt she had to 'look over her shoulder'. Brandt told the court his intentions were 'entirely political and entirely harmless', but the judge said there was a real risk of reoffending and imposed immediate custody.
