LONDON (Reuters) – A British woman accused of stalking former British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and his wife for more than a year pleaded not guilty in a London court on Monday.
Lydia Suffield is accused of stalking Osborne – Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2010 to 2016 – and Thea Rogers between June 8, 2022 and July 5, 2023.
Prosecutors say the 27-year-old allegedly sent emails and messages on Instagram as well as “false, anonymous tips” to children's charity NSPCC, resulting in “investigations into drug abuse and neglect of their children”.
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Suffield, from Liverpool, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court where she pleaded not guilty to two charges of stalking involving serious alarm or fear.
Prosecutor Rhianne Neil said the complainants felt coerced into paying for extra security around the time of their wedding, and that Suffield had allegedly sent a gift “which was said to be for the young children”.
Neil added that Suffield was accused of sending messages to Osborne and Rogers' close friends and family, referencing their private lives.
Suffield was granted bail on the condition that she not contact Osborne or Rogers until she appears at Isleworth Crown Court on January 6.
Osborne has held various positions since leaving government, including editor of the Evening Standard newspaper. He now works for boutique investment bank Robey Warshaw and is also chairman of the British Museum. He married Rogers on July 8, 2023.
(Reporting by Sam Tobin; Editing by Sarah Young)
