Suspended jail term imposed on a Wigan man who sent abusive emails and voicemails to three MPs

A Wigan man who targeted MPs with abusive messages calling them “baby killers” has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Adrian Price, 57, left voicemail messages and emails for Yvette Cooper, Sir James Cleverly and Peter Kyle, Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court heard.

He told the court: “I have spent hundreds and hundreds of hours protesting. It all got too much for my head. My bipolar.”

In voicemails to Ms Cooper’s office, he left a message saying: “I’m going to get you. You baby killing ****. You have got war criminal all over you.”

In a second voicemail to the Labour MP for Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley and current health secretary, he said: “You stink of Israeli genocide.

“Just because you don’t have your own children doesn’t mean you should kill others.

“We all know you have taken dirty shekels. Israeli sponsored *****.”

Ms Cooper has three children.

To Sir James Cleverley, the Conservative MP for Braintree, Price, an unemployed concrete re-enforcer, left a message saying: “Just because people don’t support Israel, don’t think they’re antisemitic, you ******* baby killing *******.”

To Mr Kyle, the Labour MP for Hove and Portslade, he said: “You stink of dead Palestinian children, you dirty, failed human being.”

Jane Deakin, prosecuting, told the court emails sent by Price “were in similar terms”.

Price, of Bombay Road, Marsh Green, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to three offences of malicious communications, between January 26 and March 9.

In a victim impact statement, Sir James wrote that as an MP he expected criticism and disagreement but Price went “far beyond critical political engagement”.

He said such behaviour had caused “distress and alarm” to himself and his office staff and disrupted their work for constituents.

Mr Kyle’s statement said: “No-one should have to be afraid to go to their workplace or work. It has created an atmosphere of terror.”

In a statement Sir Lindsay Hoyle, speaker of the House of Commons, who is involved in security and pastoral care for MPs, said: “I firmly believe we have an obligation to protect democracy, particularly those elected by the ballot box.

“In recent years I have received phone calls that two members of Parliament have been murdered.”

He said the effect of abuse was to erode confidence and generate fear and MPs had told him they were planning to stand down at the next election.

He added: “Democracy itself is at risk.”

Katie Maloney, defending, said Price was remorseful and at the time of the offending was struggling with his mental health and self-medicating with alcohol.

She said he has since recognised he needs counselling and has curtailed his use of alcohol.

Passing sentence, district judge Lucy Hogarth told the defendant: “You caused real fear and distress both to the targets and their staff.

“There was an implied threat of violence to Yvette Cooper.

“This kind of language is not going to change anybody’s minds.”

She said as there was some prospect of rehabilitation, the 16-week prison sentence could be suspended for 18 months.

She also ordered an alcohol treatment programme, a probation requirement and unpaid work of 100 hours.

Price was ordered to pay £239 in a surcharge and court costs and given a 10-year restraining order preventing him from contacting any of the three MPs.