Philip Jerome, an obsessive stalker with a "sexual interest" in actress Billie Piper, has been jailed for 12 months for breaching a restraining order. Jerome, 49, made 11 posts on the social media platform X, including "cartoon" AI-generated images of Ms. Piper.

Jerome has been targeting the 43-year-old actress for over a decade. He previously turned up at her home, leaving her feeling "unsafe." At the time of the latest offense, he was already subject to a stalking prevention order. He has attempted to communicate with Ms. Piper by tagging her in posts, in what has been described as a "delusional" attempt to engage in a relationship after meeting her 20 years ago.

His past actions include posting cards through her letterbox, bombarding her with social media messages, and writing her an 18-page love letter. Jerome had previously been jailed for breaching a restraining order by attending a Comicon convention where Ms. Piper was present. On that occasion, he posed for fan photographs twice in one day, wearing different clothing. Ms. Piper recognized him on the second instance, and he was ejected by security.

Jerome, from Winchester, Hampshire, had been previously warned that he could face up to five years in prison for breaching the order. The court heard that in December 2025, he attempted to contact Ms. Piper again via posts on X, tagging her account. He also saved three photos of her to his gallery.

Prosecutor Anisa Alrubaie stated that Jerome had captioned one post with an image of Ms. Piper, writing: "I think I know which image probably made me fall for [Ms Piper], the GQ Awards, and made me want to meet her at the Growing Pains Book signing. She looks great without a bra on."

Ms. Piper did not attend the latest hearing, but her personal assistant managed her X account and attempted to shield her from the comments. In a statement from a previous hearing, Ms. Piper said, "I do not feel safe being at home. I do not believe he would show up and hurt me, however I don't know that for sure."

In mitigation, Caroline Bonavia argued that the latest posts were not of an "unpleasant nature" and were largely repeats. She noted that the offenses involved finding images of Ms. Piper's head from public sources and posting them on his X account while tagging her. Bonavia stated that while posting such images would not normally be an issue, it became problematic due to Jerome's history of offending. She acknowledged that there would be some level of anxiety for a public figure with Ms. Piper's past experiences.

Jerome has been diagnosed with autism and had previously pleaded guilty to the breaches. The court was informed of a harassment conviction dating back to 2013, involving another victim. Jerome first appeared in court in connection with Ms. Piper in 2018, admitting stalking and receiving a restraining order.

He breached this order in December 2018 by sending messages to Ms. Piper's mother and sister and making comments about her choice of partner. At his home, police found ring binders containing newspaper clippings, event details, and merchandise related to Ms. Piper.

In February 2019, he admitted harassment by breaching the restraining order again after sending Ms. Piper an 18-page message. He later failed to attend court-ordered sessions with a psychologist. In 2022, he was made subject to a stalking prevention order and was jailed for 12 months later that year for breaching it.

District Judge Kirsty Allman, jailing him again, described Jerome's behavior as "entrenched and obsessive," citing his "sexual interest" in Ms. Piper and his "delusional" belief that he could engage in a relationship with her. The judge stated that the persistent nature of his offenses meant the sentence could not be suspended. She concluded that his behavior was entrenched and obsessive, and probation services determined he could not remain in the community.

Jerome was jailed for 12 months and ordered to pay a statutory surcharge of £187 after admitting four breaches of the order. Ms. Piper, who rose to fame at 15, has three children and has been married twice.