The court heard Vines has 13 convictions for 28 previous offences dating back to 2002, most of which relate to his contact with Maitlis, and had repeatedly breached conditions set out in restraining orders.
Judge Watson said he was satisfied passing sentence in the absence of the defendant, noting an adjournment was not likely to compel him to attend court.
While the letters sent by Vines were not said to be containing threatening material, he said any attempted contact constituted a breach of the order.
He criticised the defendant for disregarding the conditions of the restraining order to stop trying to contact the Maitlis family, and said that when he was prevented from "airing his grievances publicly" to the jury in the trial, he "became obstructive and angry".
"It is a tragedy that once again I have to deal with Edward Vines," he said.
"He has shown complete contempt for this order."
Describing the offending as "an extreme case", Judge Watson said handing out further custodial sentences for Vines to serve was "the only way to deter him from further offending".
"I'm quite satisfied that his imprisonment is the only thing stopping him from contacting the Maitlis family directly," he said.
"The overall effects of his efforts have been profound."
The judge said Vines had "wasted" decades of his life in his pursuit of Maitlis, adding his obsession "has tortured him without release".
"He is a very bright, articulate man," he said.
"He could have been many things."
