Man who hunted Shirley Ballas for six years

A harasser who believed that the dance judge strictly came, Shirley Ballas, was his aunt was sentenced to a suspended prison sentence.

Kyle Shaw’s “persistent campaign” saw him send abusive messages and a “threatening” threat to Miss Ballas and her friends and colleagues.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the late brother of Miss Ballas, David Rich, was his father.

Shaw, who admitted to track down the 64 -year -old dancer, causing her serious damage or distress between August 31, 2017 and November 29, 2023, was sentenced to 20 months, suspended for 20 months.

Personing, judge Gary Woodhall said: “It was a threatening threat against her and her family.”

Shaw, from Wetstone Lane to Birkenhead, has also been the subject of a prohibition order for life.

This means that he will never be allowed to contact Miss Ballas or her niece, mother or former partner.

Nicola Daley, pursuing, said, “He believed, and he is obvious from what his mother told him that his late brother was his father.”

The court learned that even if there was no evidence that his conviction was incorrect, there were only “limited evidence”, it was correct.

Daley said that in her messages Shaw accused Miss Ballas of being responsible for the death of her 44 -year -old brother, who committed suicide in 2003.

The Court heard Shaw also created social media accounts on behalf of her brother.

The accusation said that Shaw had approached Miss Ballas’s mother Audrey Rich, 86, during her purchases in Wirral in 2019.

Shaw told Ms. Rich that she was her grandmother and continued to follow her in the store when she didn’t want to speak to her, the court learned.

This incident brought Miss Ballas to move her mother from Merseyside to London.

The court also heard that Shaw had published messages on Twitter, now X, which included an image of the personal address of the BBC One Star with a message that said: “You ruined my life, I will ruin yours and everyone around you.”

Following Shaw’s actions, Daley said Miss Ballas was reluctant to socialize with colleagues and had stopped using public transport.

The prosecutor added: “She described having white nights who were worried about herself and the security of her family and being particularly in distress when suggestions were made to her that her and her mother were responsible that her brother suicide.”

The court was informed in October 2020 that Ballas contacted the police after sending her and said, “Do you want me to kill myself, Shirley?”

The court also heard that Shaw had sent messages to the niece of Miss Ballas, Mary Assall, her work colleagues of loose women and strictly Come Dancing as well as her former partner Daniel Taylor.

He called him in November 2023 and in an “implicit threat” told him that he knew where they lived and described what he knew about the movements of the television star, was informed of the court.

And when the judge strictly had planned books to Wirral, Shaw sent her saying: “I can’t wait to meet you for the first time Aunt Shirley. I hope I can get an autograph.”

Feeling Shaw, the judge said: “Since 2017, you have embarked on persistent and unwanted online contact with Shirley Ballas and his family.

“I am convinced that your reason for this offense was the desire to ask for contacts with people you really believe to be your family.

“That there is actually true in this belief is difficult, if not impossible, to be determined.”

He added: “It was not an offense driven out delusional beliefs, physical attraction or simply an obsession for celebrity.”

John Weate, in defense, said that Shaw had undergone complex mental health problems since childhood and, in his mid-tail adolescents, was informed by his mother that David Rich was his father.

Mr. Weate said: “He now accepts that Miss Ballas and his family do not wish to have contact with him and, above all, he focused on the information that he does not intend to contact them again.”

He said that cannabis consumption by Shaw had “not helped it”.

Shaw received the order to make 20 days of rehabilitation activity and to undertake a requirement for replacing 12 -month -old drugs.

Natassia McAdam, from Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Kyle Shaw’s attempts to contact clearly.

“They were persistent and became abusive and caused anxiety and distress during an extended period.

“Her behavior has become more and more erratic, and she feared becoming violent. He knew that what he was doing would cause his alarm and his distress.”

Miss Ballas, from Wallasey, Wirral, has been a chief judge in the BBC program since 2017.

At the age of 21, she won several international competitions, including the world championships in Latin America.

She retired from competitive dance in 1996.