Simple Minds singer’s brother jailed for stalking superfans

The brother of Simple Minds singer Jim Kerr has been jailed for nine years after he was convicted of stalking two fans of the band.

Paul Kerr’s trial heard that he 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 and posted sexually abusive comments about him and his wife on public Facebook pages.

Kerr, originally from Glasgow, was found guilty at Lewes Crown Court 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 his ex-girlfriend Elizabeth Vanthof.

Appearing at the same court on Monday for sentencing, Kerr was given a nine-year jail sentence, with six years in custody and three on extended licence.

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

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.

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 when Mr Fagan replied to a post on Kerr’s public Facebook page about the band’s new album, which Kerr described as “pure s***”, 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.”

The couple also plan to return to Jim Kerr’s luxury Villa Angela hotel in Sicily, where they celebrate their wedding anniversary every year.