I’m a Miss England finalist and I was stalked by a BGT wannabe – he still owes me £800 compensation after 4 years
A MISS England finalist who was stalked by a wannabe BGT star has told of her fury after waiting more than three years to be compensated.
Samantha Bumford, 29, is owed £800 in compensation by Jonathan Deal, whose stalking campaign left her terrified to go out alone.
Deal vowed to dedicate his Britain's Got Talent audition song to Samantha and began bombarding her with messages in 2018 - declaring his love for her as he became more and more obsessed.
On one occasion he pushed her against a wall and even broke past security to try and kiss her on stage, resulting in two separate prison sentences the following year.
But Samantha, from Poole, Dorset, had not received a penny in compensation since - until last month a payment of just £30 appeared in her bank account.
“I’m fuming,” she told the Sun Online.
Read More in news
“He's a serial offender, he’s been convicted and he’s been to prison.
"But it’s been years and he still hasn’t paid me.
“It’s taken nearly four years to get anything and I've had to go through all this stress of chasing the money."
Samantha, who plans to donate the money she is owed to charity, was told by Avon and Somerset Compliance Enforcement that Deal will now start paying five per cent of what he owes her each month until the sum is paid off - meaning she is unlikely to receive the full sum until around 2024.
But with little communication from authorities, the primary school teacher has felt alone and in the lurch.
She explained: “No one had told me that the first payment had started going in - it only went in at the beginning of February.
Most read in News
";Nobody has spoken to me about it and there is absolutely nothing I can do as a victim.
“I told my charities they were going to get £400 split between them and that was three years ago.
“As a victim I'm not being treated as a victim at all, I think he's treated much better than me.”
Deal was jailed for 23 weeks for his harassment campaign against Samantha in 2019.
He was released in May the same year but was later jailed again for 26 weeks after breaching his restraining order.
And in August 2020, Samantha told how her nightmare was still not over, as she spotted her stalker twice nearby in quick succession.
She said: “I'm still terrified.
Nobody has spoken to me about it and there is absolutely nothing I can do as a victim.
Samantha Bumford
"How do I know he's not lurking in the area where I am now? I don't know and that’s what's terrifying the most.
"I feel as though they are pandering to him as an offender rather than to me as the victim.
“It’s not being taken seriously in my eyes. I’m going to fight tooth and nail for this.”
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed there are no active legal proceedings against Jonathan Deal.
The Ministry of Justice confirmed Samantha only started receiving her compensation last month.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “We rigorously pursue the money criminals owe to victims and begin collecting payments from their wages or benefits as soon as they leave prison.”
Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset, David Sidwick added: “I am in regular contact with Samantha Bumford to talk about how we tackle Stalking in Dorset and I welcome her insight into the issue.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Read More on The Sun
"I am pleased to say that my office has already funded an Independent Stalking Advocacy Caseworker for two years to ensure victims of this crime type are supported and Dorset Police has increased its numbers of vulnerability lawyers, so that further legal measures can be put in place to prevent domestic abuse, sexual offences, and stalking.”
The Sun has approached Jonathan Deal for comment.
