A cancer patient has told of his "hell" after a convicted criminal allegedly became "obsessed" with him and started a vicious campaign of abuse on social media. Cancer has spread to various parts of Jeff Bevan's body and doctors have given a terminal diagnosis – but the 48-year-old from Port Talbot has had to endure social media abuse allegedly claiming he invented the illness.
Mr Bevan was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in 2019. After five months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy at Swansea's Singleton Hospital, he was given the all-clear, but early the following year a scan showed cancer in his oesophagus and thyroid gland. The coronavirus pandemic delayed an operation until November 2020, by which time "the tumours had grown so much my windpipe was going to close", he said.
Although the surgery allowed Mr Bevan to breathe more easily, the cancer had spread to his brain and other parts of his body. Around October 2021 he was told the cancer was terminal and given around two years to live. The following year his oesophagus and gallbladder were removed as well as parts of his liver, stomach and pancreas.
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Mr Bevan, who owned cleaning companies before his illness, lives on shakes and mousses because he is no longer able to eat solid food. He has had a bath chair fitted because he has severe seizures. He still takes chemo tablets but his treatment is now mainly aimed at relieving pain. Despite the devastating toll of his illness, Mr Bevan is determined to make the most of the time he has left — and he suspects this played a part in the alleged harassment.
"People think of the word 'terminal' as someone sitting on a chair waiting to die. I'm not that kind of person. On New Year's Eve I was really ill but I went to OMG Bristol for a night out with one of my best mates. I was knackered the next day, mind, but I enjoyed myself. All through my treatment I've been going to the gym, because I'm not giving up. People judge you by the way you look, thinking 'he must be alright', but they shouldn't."
The alleged troll was Donovan Clarkson who was jailed in March for harassing well-known drag queen Darren Meah-Moore. Clarkson published Facebook posts from April to June last year describing Mr Meah-Moore, then aged around 39, as a "paedo" in reference to a 1999 conviction for raping a boy under 16. Months later Mr Meah-Moore was found dead in Cardiff city centre and a 50-year old man was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter before being bailed. There is no suggestion that Clarkson is linked to that investigation.
Clarkson, 39, was sentenced to 30 weeks in prison for the harassment — having already been on a community order for harassing an ex-partner — but he should also have been brought to justice for his online abuse of Mr Bevan, the cancer patient alleges. "For six or seven months it was a nightmare," he told WalesOnline. "Every day I was frightened of what was going to be on Facebook. My mum and dad were devastated. They have enough to deal with, knowing they're losing their son, without having to read those lies."
Mr Bevan says he became friends with Clarkson in 2021 after meeting on nights out in Cardiff. Problems only arose after Clarkson allegedly told Mr Bevan he had started to have "feelings" for him. "I said he was not my type but I was happy to be friends," said Mr Bevan. "But he started to become obsessed."
The harassment allegedly started around last June as Clarkson appeared to make Facebook posts including: "Jeff Bevan is a liar. He is not terminal, he doesn't have cancer... He has acid reflux... He is a sad f****r who pretends he has money and is the bees knees. He is a con artist. He is stealing from his own parents! Scum of the earth."
Another allegedly read: "Happy new year everyone. Don't let anyone tell you they are dying from cancer and make you back them up! Especially when they had a 'living wake' in November 2021 claiming they were about to drop dead from cancer but over a year later the t*** is still alive despite everyone hoping otherwise! Don't worry he will live out the rest of his life in prison. You can lie about having cancer without any comeback until you lie to your own parents so they cash in and give you your inheritance early."
Clarkson allegedly also published a post falsely claiming he was in a "love triangle" with Mr Bevan and Mr Meah-Moore. In another he appeared to say he had seen videos of Mr Bevan "with his ill-gotten inheritance". Similar posts were shared on an almost daily basis, Mr Bevan alleges.
"My parents have not given me a penny," said Mr Bevan. "I don't need money, I've got my own. But he was sending messages like that to my friends in the early hours of the morning. Trying to cope with all that as well as the cancer was mind-boggling."
Mr Bevan claims the posts coincided with a group of youths turning up at his flat, pressing the intercom and shouting abuse. "I was fearing for my safety," he said. "I can look after myself but I'm too ill to be fighting."
He contacted South Wales Police around last August and posts appeared to be taken down. Police advised Mr Bevan to block Clarkson online but he allegedly continued to post abuse about his cancer. Mr Bevan's friends would message him the posts so he could be aware of what was being said but when he reported them to police, he was allegedly told: "Your friends will get in trouble for that." He felt the force was focusing more on what his friends were telling him than the alleged abuse.
Around January the police told Mr Bevan that Clarkson would not be charged with harassing him, although he would be charged over his posts about Mr Meah-Moore. "According to the officer, Darren was a bigger story because of what had happened [his death]. I was absolutely furious."
A South Wales Police spokesperson told WalesOnline "no criminal action was taken due to evidential difficulties". Clarkson, of Penarth Road in Grangetown, had 15 previous offences on his record including two of actual bodily harm (ABH) and two of battery. His previous harassment case saw him target his own ex-husband, who had ended their relationship. When his ex started a new relationship Clarkson bombarded him with texts and voice notes threatening to send naked pictures of him to his parents.
Mr Bevan believes it was unjust that the court was not made aware of the alleged posts about his cancer before Clarkson was sentenced in March. "It's a pattern of behaviour," he said. "What I went through because of him was absolutely ridiculous."
The alleged abuse stopped following a warning from police in January, according to Mr Bevan, but he is only now starting to feel a sense of normality return. Recent years have been gruelling, not just because of his cancer battle but also his 45-year-old partner Sean Flower's death from a heart attack in 2015. "I found the love of my life dead in bed and my whole world turned upside down," said Mr Bevan. "We'd been together 17 years. He was my best friend."
Mr Bevan's mission to enjoy his remaining time as much as possible saw him travel to Benidorm six times last year. He has tried to avoid updates on how long he has left to live "because if you live by that date you are not living".
"I know I'm going to die, I just don't know when. All I can do is live my life. It was my mate's birthday recently and I'd promised to go with him to Benidorm. It turned out I needed an op but within five days of coming out of hospital, I booked a flight to surprise him and he was in tears. I do a lot of stuff because I can't take my money with me when I die. I want to do as much as I can while I'm here."
Responding to Mr Bevan's criticism of the force, a South Wales Police spokesperson said: "The matter has been investigated. The reporting person has been advised that the social media messages do not amount to a criminal offence and he may wish to pursue civil action."
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