US Man Pleads Guilty to Stalking YouTube Star Joe Sugg

A US man has pleaded guilty to stalking YouTube star Joe Sugg over a four-year period, a court in the UK heard. Robert Beckman, 31, subjected the popular Vlogger to a campaign of emails, social media comments, and letters that began in August 2022 and concluded last month.

Beckman, who is from Michigan, traveled to the UK and continued his harassment from various locations, including Gatwick Airport. The court heard that the persistent messages caused Sugg, 35, significant "alarm and distress" and had a substantial adverse effect on his daily life. The charge stated that Beckman knew or ought to have known his actions would cause alarm or distress.

Appearing at Brighton Crown Court, Beckman entered guilty pleas to pursuing a course of conduct amounting to stalking and to failing to provide investigators with a passcode for his iPhone 13. He confirmed his name and pleaded guilty in a clear voice, with his US-based father present in court to support him. At the conclusion of the 15-minute hearing, Beckman thanked the judge and was remanded into custody.

Sugg, who rose to fame in the 2010s and later competed on "Strictly Come Dancing" in 2018, was not present in court for the guilty plea. He has since had a child with his dance partner Dianne Buswell. Beckman is scheduled to be sentenced next month.