‘Stalker yelled you’ll die at BBC DJ Gilles Peterson as she waged month-long vendetta’

BBC Radio DJ Gilles Peterson was harassed by a stalker who shouted “you will die” at him as he left the corporation’s central London HQ, a court heard.

Peterson, 55, and his wife Atsuko, 53, were bombarded with abuse by a woman who repeatedly turned up outside their family home, it is said.

Thames magistrates’ court heard she allegedly struck the renowned DJ and music producer’s car with a pole and hurled abuse through the front door.

Mr Peterson, whose real surname is Moehrle, also found a torn-up picture of himself clipped to the windscreen of his car as he left the gym, while his wife said she was called a “Hiroshima bitch” in one torrent of abuse.

The French-born music producer, who presents a weekend show on BBC Radio 6, told police the woman had continued to approach him even after appearing in court on harassment charges. She is also accused of approaching him as he left the BBC studios in Portland Place, shouting out “you will die”.

Prosecutor Callum Morgan said the DJ, who was awarded an MBE in 2004, had been left “feeling threatened, harassed, and intimidated” while his wife was “frightened and fearful”.

He is a pioneer of the acid jazz music scene, and founded his own record label in the 1980s that counted the Brand New Heavies and Jamiroquai among its roster of stars.

Sarah Rook, 43, is accused of harassing the couple at their home and studios in north London between February 15 and March 16, and then stalking them over three days between March 21 and 24.

She is further accused of racially aggravated harassment towards Mrs Moehrle and a racially aggravated public order offence against a police officer. Rook has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against her. She told the court yesterday: “I’ve never met these people at all.”

Mr Morgan said in one incident, Rook posed as a charity worker to try to get Mrs Moehrle to speak to her, before shouting: “You don’t care about people, open the door bitch’”.

Rook, from Surbiton, was remanded in custody yesterday by District Judge Louisa Cieciora until a trial scheduled for May 19.

She denies harassment, stalking, racially aggravated harassment, and racially aggravated intentional harassment, alarm, or distress.