Dame Penny Mordaunt stalker jailed

A man who stalked former Conservative leadership candidate Dame Penny Mordaunt has been sentenced to 20 weeks in jail.

Edward Brandt, 61, sent multiple emails and phone messages to Dame Penny and also turned up at her Portsmouth office out-of-hours in a bid to meet her.

In November, a jury at Southampton Crown Court found him guilty of stalking, but cleared him of a more serious charge of stalking involving serious alarm or distress.

In a victim impact statement, Dame Penny, who was MP for Portsmouth North from 2010 to 2024, said she had suffered "huge anxiety and distress" and was living in constant fear of a confrontation.

The incidents took place between 11 September 2023 and 12 May 2024.

Brandt, a former councillor from Lymington, Hampshire, was arrested in March 2024 and given a conditional caution the following month, requiring him not to contact Dame Penny, but he then left two voicemail messages for her.

The court heard in one of the messages, he said: "I am going to go on gently knocking at your door in order to shake your hand, I am not giving up."

Brandt, a former elected member of East Hampshire District Council, claimed he wanted to commiserate with her over her failed leadership bid.

He added: "I wanted to congratulate her because she was a reforming leader of the Commons, I wanted to congratulate her on the coronation, chat to her about her time in office, have her sign a copy of her book.

"It was entirely political and entirely harmless."

Dame Penny said in a statement to police she "feared sexual violence" because of Brandt's "creepy" behaviour.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, she said she had been "living in fear" causing her to increase security at her office and at home, changing her routine.

She was also given police protection at a carol service where she was the special guest.

She said: "I am completely exhausted due to the stress, every time I step out of the building I am looking over my shoulder and checking to see if he is there.

"I am living in a constant fear of a confrontation."

Dame Penny, who hit the headlines for carrying ceremonial swords at the King's coronation, continued: "It's hugely impacted all aspects of my life, both my professional life and personal life, and I cannot stress enough how much I am exhausted by it."

Passing sentence, Judge William Mousley KC told Brandt his actions had a "significant and enduring" impact on Dame Penny.

"As an MP, [Dame Penny] was vulnerable as she would make herself available to meet members of the public," the judge said.

"There have been before and since incidents where MPs have been attacked or worse in the course of carrying out their jobs as constituency MPs, and Penny Mordaunt would have been only too aware of that and would justifiably been frightened of incidents occurring in her constituency."

The court also heard allegations of inappropriate behaviour by Brandt towards other women.

The divorced father-of-two also had two previous drink-driving convictions and an offence of battery against a former partner.

He was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison for the stalking offence and eight weeks to serve consecutively for the breaches of the stalking protection order.

In a statement issued after the sentencing, Dame Penny paid tribute to her former staff who she said were "also victims of Brandt".

"As I said before, there are a thousand happier stories I could tell you from my time in public life. Never let others deter or frighten you from serving your community or doing your duty", she added