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An appeal made by three men convicted of harassing BBC journalist Catrin Nye has been rejected. Nye hosted the podcast series and documentary, *A Very British Cult*. Kristofer Deichler, aged 47, Jatinder Kamra, 46, and Sukhraj Singh were found guilty of harassment following visits to Nye’s home, where she lives with her partner and children. The first visit occurred in August 2024 when they arrived as a group, with a second visit taking place in September 2024 involving just the three men.
Judge Pounder, presiding at Snaresbrook Crown Court, acknowledged the fear caused by the surprise visits, emphasizing the increased worry due to the presence of Nye’s children at the time. Each of the men is a member of the group Lighthouse, which was the focus of a 2023 BBC documentary and podcast hosted by Nye. The trio’s appeal aimed to overturn their February convictions, where they were sentenced to 200 hours of community service each. Alongside this, they received restraining orders banning any contact with Nye or her partner for the next ten years and were prohibited from entering the London borough where the couple resides.
Following the initial broadcast, Lighthouse staged a series of protests outside BBC offices in London, targeting both Nye and the BBC. While some aspects of these protests were peaceful and within the bounds of free expression, Judge Pounder made clear that the men’s conduct exceeded acceptable limits and crossed into criminal behavior. After an encounter with Nye in July 2024, Kamra expressed dissatisfaction, feeling his questions had gone unanswered. Subsequently, the group obtained Nye’s home address through a private investigator and referred to BBC guidelines about doorstep encounters before deciding to confront her there.
Judge Pounder described their actions as bullying and oppressive, noting the three men were aware of boundaries they should not cross but chose to disregard them. During the August visit, the group distributed leaflets to Nye’s neighbors containing serious allegations linking her to racism, dishonesty, and the concealment of child sexual abuse within her family. This was seen as significantly different from protesting at BBC premises. Kamra later returned to the property to leave a handwritten note stating, “we will be back,” which heightened Nye’s fears. The trio returned again on 5 September, after which they were arrested. Despite claiming they were conducting citizen journalism in the public interest, the judge determined their behaviour was unreasonable, highlighting the deliberate effort to acquire private details and intimidate Nye at her home.
Nye, giving evidence for a second time from behind a curtain, described the visits as extremely distressing. The harassment led her to install security measures including CCTV, panic alarms, police direct lines, and the use of personal alarms. The men also argued that their actions were an expression of their religious beliefs. Although Judge Pounder acknowledged their convictions were sincere, he ruled that the prayers said during their visit were incidental to their conduct. He pointed out that any religious materials they wished to deliver could have been sent through the BBC. Beyond their original sentences, the judge imposed an additional fine of £1,000 on each of the three men
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