Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas was stalked for more than six years by a man who was who was convinced he was her nephew. Kyle Shaw from Whetstone Lane in Birkenhead appeared at Liverpool Crown Court after pleading guilty to stalking that caused serious alarm or distress.
The court heard how the 37-year-old sent Ms Ballas "menacing" messages on social media after his mother misled him into believing that the television star's deceased brother was his father. The relentless harassment left Ballas living in constant fear for her safety and even prompted her elderly mother to move from Merseyside to London following an incident where Shaw followed her in a Wirral supermarket.
Prosecutor Nicola Daley detailed Shaw's persistent attempts to contact Ballas starting in 2015, having "believed that her late brother was his father". His communications often "accused her of being responsible" for his death after he took his own life.
Shaw sent the disturbing messages through social media profiles registered under his own name as well as using the alias David Rich, the name of Ms Ballas' late brother. One particularly harrowing message from a fake account said: "My mum and sister left me and then abandoned my son."
Ms Daley said: "As well as contacting her directly through social media, Ms Ballas reported being particularly concerned about an incident in about 2019, when her mother was approached in a supermarket in Liscard, where her mother was living at the time, by the defendant. Her mother believed that he followed her around when she indicated that she did want to speak to him", reports the Liverpool Echo.
"Audrey Rich, Ms Ballas' mother, is now 86 years of age. She has described messages from the defendant. She recalls, from about 2018, receiving messages from the defendant which read 'where's my dad, where's my dad?'. She believed that she was being asked where he might be buried. She did not respond to him.
"She then speaks about being in the shopping centre in Birkenhead. She was approached by the defendant, telling her that she was his grandmother. She realised that he must have been the individual who was sending her the messages.
"She felt scared and told him that she did not want to speak to him, but felt as though he continued to follow her and her sister-in-law around the shop for some time. That was a matter which was reported back to other family members. Ms Ballas and her niece arranged for her to move from the Wirral area to London for her safety."
Shaw's messages not only caused Ms Ballas to "feel concern for his safety" but also sparked fears for her own safety and that of her family due to his "potential instability". One message sent via Instagram on October 24, 2020, stated: "Do you want me to kill myself Shirley?".
In 2023, Shaw posted a picture of her gated home on Twitter and continued with his "menacing" communications, warning her: "You ruined my life. I'll ruin yours and everyone's around you."
Ms Ballas has reportedly been left "constantly worrying and looking over her shoulder". On October 21 of the same year, when she was scheduled for book signings in Merseyside and Wirral, Shaw messaged her directly on Twitter, saying: "I can't wait to meet you for the first time Auntie Shirlie. Hopefully I can get an autograph."
Ms Daley spoke about the profound impact on Ms Ballas, said: "She describes sleepless nights worrying about herself and her family's safety and being particularly distressed by suggestions that her and her mother were responsible for her brother taking his own life. In more recent years, she has been more reluctant to socialise with colleagues and reluctant to stay in hotels in case her whereabouts became known.
"It is clear that this must have had a significant impact on Mr Ballas. An individual who had been her driver for a number of years set out, from about 2019, Ms Ballas becoming concerned when a car was following them. She only relaxed once it was established that it was a photographer."
Shaw's behaviour reportedly began after his mother hinted during his teenage years that his biological father might be Mr Rich, with whom she claimed to have had a relationship "at the relevant time". Upon being detained on December 5, 2023, Shaw said, "I haven't followed Shirley Ballas or anything like that" and also mentioned, "If she had answered, nothing like this would have happened."
An investigation of his mobile phone unveiled attempts by Shaw to contact several of Ballas' colleagues from Strictly Come Dancing and Loose Women, "indicating that she was not answering him" and "making derogatory comments". Police found a small amount of cannabis, valued at several hundred pounds but intended for personal use, at his home.
Shaw has no previous convictions. John Weate, defending, told the court "There is a substantial background to this particular case. The defendant has been diagnosed with complex mental health issues. This is something that has affected him from seven years of age.
"The information which was fed to him when he was in his middle to late teens, and added to towards the latter part of his 20s, fuelled the situation which, very sadly, led to the commission of this offence. He effectively reached out to people who he believed were family members, without seeing the effect that his behaviour was having on those people.
"He now accepts that Ms Ballas and her family do not wish to have any contact with him. He has no intention of contacting them again and does not want to find himself in a similar situation. He understands that it would be totally inappropriate for him, at any time in the future, to reach out.
"On occasions over the course of the last few years, the defendant has been without a home. From November of 2024, the defendant has now found a settled address. At that address, there are elements of supervision, giving the defendant some security in the way in which he lives his life."
Shaw, who appeared in the dock wearing a black coat over a shirt and tie and sporting short dark hair and facial hair, also pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis. He burst into tears and put his right hand to his face when he was handed a 20-month imprisonment suspended for 20 months.
Sentencing, Judge Gary Woodhall said: "Since 2017, you have engaged in persistent, unwanted online contact with Shirley Ballas and her family. I am satisfied that your motivation was a desire to connect with people who you believed were your family.
"Whether there was any truth in that belief is difficult to determine. However, you embarked upon a consistent campaign of contact involving implicit threats involving not only Shirley Ballas but those connected with her.
"At an early stage in 2015, it is suggested that you were told not to contact Ms Ballas. You did not follow that advice. By 2019, that contact was causing a substantial adverse effect on her.
"You sent unpleasant messages seeking to blame her for brother's death. This caused great distress. Ms Ballas' mother also received messages from you. She ignored your messages.
"However, in around 2019 or 2020, you approached her in the supermarket in Liscard and sought to speak to her about her late son. Understandably, she felt scared and uneasy and felt that you continued to follow her around the show.
"You posted an image of her home on Twitter. This was a menacing threat against her and her family and involved intrusion of her privacy, which caused her real concern for her own safety. She was concerned that you may attend her own home, all of this in the context of her harbouring concerns that you were mentally unstable.
"She describes being constantly worried and looking over her shoulder. You made reference to attending her book signing. You again sent a message about ruining her life in a profile in her late brother's name.
"You asserted that you knew where they lived. It was obviously an implied threat. You referenced not attending Ms Ballas' book signing as you said you were scared what might happen.
"Your comments, contact and threats have caused serious alarm to Ms Ballas and her partner. Her driver describes the visible concern and distress which he witnessed. You also contacted other family members.
"She felt that it was necessary to relocate her mother to live with her in London to secure her safety. She has had many sleepless nights. She lives, effectively, in fear of what you might do.
"There are clearly long standing mental health issues, with repeated attempts on your own life from a young age. Although there have been periods when you have been homeless, you are now in settled accommodation. You also have the support of family members.
"You have engaged in a period of reflection, expressing some understanding of the impact of your offending. You have acknowledged that Ms Ballas and her family want no contact with you."
Shaw will be required to complete a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 20 days and a 12-month drug rehabilitation requirement. He was also handed a restraining order banning him from contacting Ms Ballas, as well as her mother, niece and former partner, indefinitely.
Outside the courtroom, he was heard to remark to a family member "I thought I was going down". This supporter replied: "So did I, at some point."
Ms Ballas, 64, has led the judging panel on Strictly since 2017, building on her illustrious dance career that spanned the globe. Dubbed the "Queen of Latin" for her mastery of the Latin style, she relocated to West Yorkshire at 15, having spent her formative years on the Wirral.
Previously speaking about precautions she had taken to protect her safety since she found fame on Strictly, Ms Ballas told the Mirror’s Invite Only podcast: "I always have George, the guy who's driven me for the last five years, get out of the car first, always scanning. I wouldn't say it's the healthiest thing. You know, I like to be kind of like a free bird, but we're coming into times now where you have to be more vigilant of yourself."
