An 'obsessed' fan of Doctor Who star Billie Piper has been jailed for 12 months after repeatedly breaching a ban on contacting her. Philip Jerome, 48, from Winchester, Hampshire, appeared at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court on his 49th birthday to be sentenced on Tuesday (August 25). He pleaded guilty to four breach charges, including a stalking prevention order against the actress.
Breach of stalking prevention order
Anisa Alrubaie, prosecuting, told the court that Jerome had been made subject to the stalking prevention order relating to Ms Piper on July 21, 2022. Police carried out an inspection of Jerome's devices on December 27, 2025, when they found four images of Ms Piper saved on his phone, the court heard. Jerome had tagged 11 posts and images, including AI images, on X, previously known as Twitter, relating to her on four separate days earlier that month.
Ms Alrubaie said this included a single comment on December 7, 2025, in which Jerome wrote: "I think I know which image probably made me fall for (Ms Piper), the GQ awards, and made me want to meet her. She is great without a bra too." The court heard that Ms Piper's X account was organised by her personal assistant and she did not have direct access to it. Ms Alrubaie said: "She doesn't generally inform Ms Piper of posts, there is a significant amount of negativity that is not relevant and she doesn't need to be made aware."
History of harassment
Jerome was made subject to a restraining order in 2018 after attending Ms Piper's home address, posting cards through her door and sending letters by post to her, the court was told. He then breached this 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 Ms Piper's home and making comments about her choice of partner. Ringbinders were also found by police at his home containing newspaper clippings, details of events and other merchandise.
Jerome was jailed for 12 months in 2022 for a breach of the restraining order by turning up at a Comicon convention where he posed for a fan photograph twice on the same day with Ms Piper, wearing different clothing for the second occasion. Ms Piper recognised Jerome on the second occasion and he was ejected from the event by security, the courts heard. He had also been convicted of harassment dating back to 2012 against a woman, by 'sleeping outside her address in the woods'.
Sentencing and defence
Sentencing Jerome, District Judge Kirsty Allman told him: "You have a sexual interest in Ms Piper making reference to her without have a bra on and so on." She added: "The motivation is to contact her in the hope she will engage in a relationship with you. You demonstrated an entrenched pattern of stalking and harassment offences, and failing to comply with court orders."
Caroline Bonavia, defending, stated: "Were it not for the order, these (offences) would be very similar to what a keen fan would post about a public figure. A lot of them are similar images of her head in an Andy Warhol arrangement, many repeats essentially of her face and sometimes with AI. The difference for him is that he must not do this and he accepts it." Ms Bonavia said that Jerome had shown a lack of remorse and empathy, had a recent diagnosis of autism and had sought psychological support to stop him seeking 'obsessive and unsuccessful relationships'. She said that his breaches 'had moved a great deal away from what one would think were the terrifying elements' and added: "He needs to learn that fan or not, even this sort of posting is not permitted."
