Billy Joel hired bodyguards for daughter after campaign of harrassment

Alexa Ray Joel, 27, received dozens of unsolicited messages, some of which involved “paedophilia, sadistic-sexual behavior, violent physical assaults and murder,” according to court records in the US.

Sheryl Finley, a 40-year-old woman from Minnesota with a history of mental health problems, has been charged with harassing her, after being tracked down by a team of British-based private investigators.

Finley is accused of posing as a man called “Rick Steenfield” to harass Miss Joel, the 27-year-old daughter of the singer-songwriter and his second wife Christie Brinkley, the supermodel and actress.

She allegedly sent messages to Miss Joel detailing potential sexual assaults against a woman and child, and referencing murder and rape, prompting Mr Joel to hire a bodyguard for his daughter.

Mr Joel also recruited Net Defence, a Stirling-based internet security firm, which allegedly tracked the abusive messages back to computers at a public library and college in Finley’s home town of Austin.

He is believed to have been advised to use the firm by Sir Paul McCartney, who employs it to secure his official website. It also provides services to Julian Lennon, the son of Sir Paul’s late bandmate John.

Finley is accused of using the same computer to send messages to Miss Joel from her own Facebook account – and then threatening messages from her fake account – within minutes.

When contacted by the investigators, she allegedly admitted that she sent the messages and was told to stop contacting Miss Joel. An hour later, however, she is said to have sent a new message to the 27-year-old.

Local police say they later discovered her naked in a nearby woods, where she told them that the threats she made against Miss Joel were not things she wanted to do “during this life”.

The 40-year-old, who was committed to a mental institution in 2010, also said that she remained hopeful that Miss Joel would not “object to meeting with her,” it is alleged by prosecutors.

Miss Joel, the singer-songwriter’s only child, has attempted to forge a career in music for herself, releasing an EP in 2006 and several singles on independent record labels in the years following. She lives in Manhattan and has also worked as a spokesman for a shampoo company.

Sources close to the family reportedly said that the saga had frightened her parents. “Christie Brinkley was terrified that someone would harm her baby,” one was said to have told The New York Post. “Billy Joel was worried but focused.”

Finley, who has also previously been declared bankrupt, was convicted by her local court of allowing her dog to run at large following a complaint under the state’s dangerous dogs laws in 2003.

She has been charged with a felony for stalking Miss Joel via electronic messages sent by false impersonation, and with a gross misdemeanour for stalking via repeated electronic messages.

She faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 (£6,520) if convicted. She could also be ordered to undergo mental health treatment.

Police said that the case highlighted a growing problem. “We certainly see a lot of harassment-type cases with the advent of Facebook and Twitter,” Captain Dave McKichan told local television news.

“We need to take the harassment and the threats that occur via those digital means very seriously,” he said. Representatives for the Joels could not be reached for comment.

In a statement posted on its website, Net Defence said: “Our client, a resident of New York, had been subject to months of sustained social media correspondence of a disturbing and sexually violent nature.

“Working with local and state law enforcement our analysts tracked, monitored and consolidated the aliases to identify the source of the attack. The alleged attacker, Sheryl Finley, is now awaiting trial.”

Source: The Telegraph