Man jailed for Mel C harassment

Melanie C went solo after the Spice Girls

A Dutch man has been jailed for nine months for harassing former Spice Girl Melanie Chisholm.

The unnamed 39-year-old sent the singer parcels, letters and tapes during 2001, a court in the eastern Dutch town of Arnhem heard.

Dutch police searched the man's home after he tried to hand-deliver a parcel to Ms Chisholm's London home.

The sentence, of which six months were suspended, was handed down by an appeals court.

Safe house

He was previously sentenced to one month in prison.

The court heard how Ms Chisholm - also known as Melanie C - changed the locks to her London flat and later fled to a safe house in northern England after receiving the mail.

The man told the court last month he loved the singer and had meant her no harm by his actions.

He said he was upset when he realised the love was not mutual and always wrote his address on letters so he was easy to find.

Dutch media reported that the correspondence included a sexually explicit video.