A journalist has denied stalking former chancellor George Osborne and his wife Thea Rogers for nearly a year.
Lydia Suffield, 27, is accused of sending emails and Instagram messages to the couple and filing false referrals to children’s charity the NSPCC between 8 June 2022 and 5 July 2023.
At a short hearing at Isleworth Crown Court on Thursday, Suffield pleaded not guilty to two counts of stalking involving serious alarm or distress, in breach of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.
The charge states Suffield’s alleged conduct had a “substantial adverse effect” on Osborne and his wife’s “usual day-to-day activities”.
Suffield, from Liverpool, spoke only confirm her name and address and deny the charges. She previously made her initial not guilty pleas at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in December.
The freelance journalist was supported by her family in the public gallery.
She was granted conditional bail and her trial was fixed for 18 May 2026.
Judge Martin Edmunds KC told Suffield to return to court for the trial, expected to last seven days.
“I am sorry it cannot be earlier, that is the earliest time we can accommodate it at this court due to backlog,” he said.
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