"Creepy" ex-councillor jailed for stalking Dame Penny Mordaunt who "feared sexual violence"
A “creepy” ex-councillor has been jailed after stalking Dame Penny Mordaunt who “feared sexual violence”.
Edward Brandt, a former councillor for East Hampshire District Council, was found guilty of stalking at Southampton Crown Court resulting in jail time of 20 weeks.
This comes after Dame Penny Mordaunt said in a statement to the police she was left fearing “sexual violence” due to his “creepy” behaviour.
The trial heard that the 61-year-old sent at least 17 emails and three phone messages to Dame Penny, as well as turning up at her Portsmouth constituency office out-of-hours between September 11, 2023 and May 12, 2024.
Brandt, who worked as a professional sailor, was also sentenced for seven breaches in December 2025 of a stalking protection order in place until November 2034 by failing to notify police of devices capable of connecting to the internet and of the creation of accounts on Facebook and Snapchat.
He was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison for the stalking offence and eight weeks to serve consecutively for the breaches.
He was acquitted of a more serious charge of stalking involving serious alarm or distress.