Philip Jerome, an individual with a history of obsessive behavior toward actress Billie Piper, has been sentenced to 12 months in jail for violating a restraining order. Jerome, 49, made 11 posts on the social media platform X, including AI-generated images of Piper, whom he has targeted for over a decade.
Jerome appeared in court on his birthday and was found to have breached a stalking prevention order. He had a previous conviction for stalking in 2018, which included attending Piper's home and sending her messages. He has also previously been jailed for breaching a restraining order after attending a Comicon convention where Piper was present.
Prosecutors stated that Jerome had a "sexual interest" in the actress and attempted to communicate with her by tagging her account in the posts. One post reportedly included the caption, "She looks great without a bra on." The court heard that Piper's personal assistant managed her X account and attempted to shield her from such comments. In a prior statement, Piper indicated she did not feel safe at home due to Jerome's actions.
Jerome's defense argued that the posts were not of an "unpleasant nature" and largely consisted of repeated images of Piper's face, some altered with AI to appear cartoon-like. However, the court acknowledged that due to the history of his offending, even seemingly innocuous posts constituted a breach.
Jerome was diagnosed with autism and had a prior harassment conviction from 2013 related to another victim. He was first cautioned in connection with Piper in 2018. He subsequently breached a restraining order in December 2018 by sending messages to Piper's mother and sister and attending her home. He admitted harassment in February 2019 after sending an 18-page message to Piper via her family. In 2022, he was made subject to a stalking prevention order and was jailed for 12 months for breaching it.
District Judge Kirsty Allman described Jerome's behavior as "entrenched and obsessive," noting his "delusional" belief that he could engage in a relationship with Piper. The judge stated that based on the totality and repeated nature of his offenses, the sentence could not be suspended. Jerome pleaded guilty to four breaches of the order and was also ordered to pay a statutory surcharge of £187.