Brighton brother of Simple Minds singer jailed for stalking Published duration 6 January

image copyright Sussex Police image caption Paul Kerr also carried out a similar abusive online campaign against his ex-girlfriend Elizabeth Vanthof

The brother of Simple Minds singer Jim Kerr has been jailed after being convicted of stalking two fans of the band.

Paul Kerr had threatened to murder John Fagan and drag his wife Julie to a police station by her hair, in a row over the Scottish band's new album.

Kerr, 56, also falsely accused Mr Fagan of raping a nine-year-old boy.

He was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court to nine years, with six years in custody and three on extended licence.

The trial heard he sent emails to two police forces threatening to murder Mr Fagan during an 11-month campaign of abuse between January and November 2018.

Kerr, of Montague Street, Brighton, also posted sexually abusive comments about Mr Fagan and his wife on public Facebook pages, the court heard.

Mr Fagan, who lives with his wife in Canterbury, has seen Simple Minds more than 300 times and was an active member of an online forum about the band.

image caption Simple Minds at BBC Sports Personality Of The Year 2014

Best known for hit singles such as Alive And Kicking and Don't You (Forget About Me), Simple Minds were the most successful Scottish band of the 1980s.

The dispute started on Kerr's public Facebook page, after a negative review was left about the band's new album, the court heard.

Speaking tearfully after the verdict, Mrs Fagan, 52, said the stalking and the lengthy trial had been horrific, but she was still a fan of Simple Minds.

She continued: "I am just so relieved, it is the end of a horrible nightmare.

"He has lied all the way through. I felt sick to my stomach.

"Going to put this all behind us and move on. We have already booked some tickets for next year in Brighton."

Kerr also carried out a similar abusive online campaign against his ex-girlfriend Elizabeth Vanthof after their two-month relationship ended in 2018, the court heard.

Det Con Jenny Dunn said: "Kerr had embarked on terrifying online stalking. All three victims were severely shaken by their experiences with Paul Kerr."

Kerr was found guilty in November of two counts of pursuing a course of conduct that amounted to stalking against the Fagans, and a further charge of pursuing a course of conduct that amounted to stalking against Ms Vanthof.