Emily Maitlis's stalker of 25 years made her life hell from inside jail

​Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis was left feeling “scared and let down” because a stalker who has harassed her for more than 25 years was able to continue his campaign from behind bars.

Edward Vines, 47, has developed what one judge has described as an “unshakeable obsession” with the journalist since they attended Cambridge University in 1989.

He has since bombarded her with letters, Oxford crown court heard today, where he was sentenced to a 45 months in jail for two counts of breaching a restraining order.

Vines was jailed for three years in September 2016 after breaching a previous restraining order, but was able to contact Maitlis from prison in “something of a scandal”, the court heard.

One breach took place when Vines tried to contact Maitlis from prison where he was serving a sentence for ignoring a previous restraining order. One letter, sent to the BBC and addressed to her, said: “I will not relent until you talk to me.”

In a victim impact report read to the court, Maitlis, who was not present, said: “When I heard that Edward Vines had breached his restraining order I felt scared and let down — let down because it meant that even within the prison system the perpetrator was able to reach me.

“It has affected my relationship with my husband, who is frustrated that we cannot get to the bottom of this problem, even though we have been tackling it through the CPS and courts for over 20 years, and it has scared my children who thought the threat had gone away — albeit while he was temporarily behind bars.

“It has affected my ability to work — I am constantly thinking of where I am being sent and whether he will be attempting to track me down.” The journalist said she was “jumpy” around strangers and worried about coming home late, adding: “This man remains a threat in my life and my family’s life.

“My ability to do my work, hang out with my children, and lead a normal family life without constant suspicion and fear has been badly damaged.”

The court heard that Vines had refused to give up his pursuit of Maitlis after she shunned his advances.

Sentencing him today, Judge Peter Ross said: “This sort of harassment has a crippling effect on the victim. It’s psychological torture. You scared her children and affected her ability to work. It’s disgraceful conduct.”

He said the fact that Vines had been able to send a letter to her from Bullingdon prison in Oxfordshire was “something of a scandal” and demanded an explanation from the governor. He accepted Vines had mental health issues but that doctors had said they had not triggered the harassment.

Vines, who was representing himself, said: “The police did not listen to me. I don’t personally fear years in jail will resolve this.”

Vines was first hit with a restraining order not to contact Maitlis, 47, in 2002 after she became alarmed following the murder of fellow TV presenter Jill Dando in 1999.