Thursday, November 19, 2009

Belle de Jour: Ex-Boyfriend Investigated for Duel Threat




The ex-boyfriend of Belle de Jour who threatened to expose her identity has now apparently threatened her today and her current partner, prompting her to notify police to take appropriate action and provide protection.

The ex-boyfriend said in a chilling published statement that he was, essentially, challenging Belle's current boyfriend to a real and very bizarre pugilistic duel!

"Meet me with a Second and a Referee. I will come with my own and a medic," he wrote in part to Belle and her current boyfriend. "Let me recap. I am deadly serious on this...(Belle) deserves this...She knows how stubborn I am on this type of thing. I will start training tomorrow."

For those of you who are unfamiliar with her, Belle de Jour had been the nom de plume of a celebrated erotic author, and award-winning blogger, who was also a London call girl for two years.

On Sunday, Belle revealed that her true identity is the respected research scientist Dr. Brooke Magnanti in a voluntary interview with the London Sunday Times. Her self-disclosure ended literally years of wild speculation by the literary pundits in the UK, as well as expensive attempts to uncover her secret by the media.

Brooke is now living happily in Bristol with long-term boyfriend T, whom had urged her to come forward voluntarily and disclose her true identity.

“T (thought I’d) be much happier once I’ve got this off my chest,” she told the newspaper. “He knew I was Belle before we started dating properly. He told me something that showed he trusted me, and I felt I could trust him back by telling him. It was the acid test. At that point I’d become convinced that nobody who knew I was Belle would want me.”

In her writing, Brooke had identified her ex-boyfriend only as The Boy, a moniker she attached to him for his often juvenile and inappropriate behavior. When she contacted the newspaper on Sunday she did so partially, “because she’s had enough of being anonymous, and there is also an ex-boyfriend with a big mouth lurking in the background; outing herself while she still has a measure of control over how it happens seems the sensible option,” wrote columnist India Knight, who interviewed Brooke.

The following day, various media located Brooke’s ex-boyfriend, but he demanded that the newspapers not identify him. At first, The Boy pleaded for Brooke to return to him, claiming he had not known she had been a high-priced call girl, but that all was now forgiven.

Today, Brooke posted on twitpic a rambling statement/rant from The Boy. In it, his self-indulgent pleading had evolved into something much, much darker that now sounds like a very dangerous, twisted obsession.

As a result, Brooke contacted Bristol police, and precautions have also been taken at her employment, and The Boy’s employer has also been notified and are investigating his behavior. Brooke said little about the incident, primarily allowing The Boy’s frightening post to speak volumes for itself.

I have included the pertinent portion in total:

The Boy begins by quoting a partial entry from Belle’s blog, describing them in bed together years ago: She “purred that I really should take up boxing, again that she could help me train to become stronger still. Well this is it. This is the time. Tell your “friend,” tell “T,” he failed her and needs to be a lot stronger to protect her from here on in. Tell him that his first test, his first trial and proof of his love is to meet me. I know about him, he must certainly know about me now. Everyone else does. Tell him to meet me, just as I was going to him in February before Brooke stopped me. Meet me with a Second and a Referee. I will come with my own and a medic. I know several in Bristol. It’s nine months later than expected but they are good stout fellows and will agree to it again. I can move quickly on this.

“Let me recap. I am deadly serious on this. Tell “T” that (I) will meet him Marquis of Queenberry rules. (I) will meet him and I will let him prove to her that he can take what is to come when the rest of this comes out. She deserves this, I am sure he will love the opportunity to prove his worth to her. Especially with someone he no doubt loathes in turn. This will be his Christmas and birthday come early. I will not back down. She knows how stubborn I am on this type of thing. I will start training tomorrow. I will be back to 16 stone soon enough. The longer he leaves it the harder it will be for him. If he doesn’t come to me I will simply come to him. She has made it very easy for the world to find us both. It is in his own best interests to be quick and choose the venue. He can try to beat me but until then I will not back down. He was a disgrace to his service and he is a disgrace to her. He deserves this as much as I do.

POSTED BY THE BOY AT 00:55”

On her fabulous blog, Brooke posted the following regarding the horrible incident:

“jeudi, novembre 19

I am willing to live with the fact that there are (at least) two sides to every story, that anyone who knows me is entitled to their say if they feel so moved. I've written four books about what a terrible girlfriend I am: I have nothing more to hide now and will take the criticism.

Or as A1 put it, if you only know one side of the story, you know less than nothing.

However while letting others put their side to the papers – and maintaining their anonymity if they so wish it – is acceptable, threats are NOT acceptable. Bullying is NOT acceptable.

The physical threat posted by my ex (is NOT acceptable.)

I am going to the police TODAY.

Posted by belle at 10:25 AM”

In terms of Brooke’s employment, her specialist areas are developmental neurotoxicology and cancer epidemiology. She has a PhD in informatics, epidemiology and forensic science and is now working at the Bristol Initiative for Research of Child Health. She is currently part of a team researching the potential effects on babies of their mothers' exposure to toxic chemicals.

(FYI: Photo above is of The Boy and Brooke. He had his face blocked out to protect his identity.)

— The Curator

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