Britain’s Got Talent: Man jailed after repeatedly calling police to complain Ant McPartlin was on TV

Viewer was frustrated that presenter appeared on TV after drink driving conviction

Britain’s Got Talent star Anthony McPartlin returned to television in 2019 after a hiatus following his conviction for drink driving – but not everyone was happy to have him back.

A Welsh man who kept calling police to complain that McPartlin was still on television after his conviction has been jailed for 19 weeks. He had been on a suspended 10-week sentence before this case began.

McPartlin did not go to prison for drink driving. He was charged an £86,000 fine and given a 20-month driving ban.

David Kates-Lowick, 57, admitted to breaching an order by contacting Dyfed-Powys Police when it was not a genuine police matter.

The prosecutor said four calls were made to the police in three days, during which Kates-Lowick told call handlers he was frustrated that McPartlin could still drive and be on TV when others had lost their jobs over similar convictions.

The defence argued Kates-Lowick had called the 101 non-emergency line, not 999, and added that the contents of the phone calls suggested he had “significant mental health issues” and constituted “a plea for help”.