Inmate admits sending threats to MP Phillips and former PM May
A BIRMINGHAM man has pleaded guilty to sending threatening letters to the Prime Minister and other members of Parliament including Jess Phillips, who he threatened to kill.
Rakeem Malik, a serving prisoner, appeared at Birmingham Crown Court today Friday.
The 52-year-old was charged with malicious communications and letters containing threats to kill MPs Rosie Cooper and Jess Phillips, who represents Birmingham Yardley, between May 2019 and November 2019.
He was also charged with sending malicious communications to the then Prime Minister Theresa May in September 2018 and PM Boris Johnson in December last year. An investigation was launched after letters were received by MP Rosie Cooper in May 2019 containing threats to kill her.
Fingerprint analysis identified Malik and, in interview, he admitted sending further letters to Theresa May in September 2018. These had never reached her personally, but were retrieved for examination.
A further letter was sent to MP Jess
Phillips at her constituency office in November last year and one addressed to Boris Johnson was intercepted the following month.
The 52-year-old admitted making four threats to kill against Rosie Cooper and Jess Phillips, and sending three letters intending to cause distress or anxiety to Theresa May and one to Boris Johnson. He will be sentenced on June 11.
Malik, who the court heard is currently a serving prisoner at HMP Birmingham on an indeterminate sentence, spoke only to confirm his name and enter pleas.
He admitted to sending a letter “which conveyed a message which was a threat and your purpose in sending it was it could cause distress or anxiety” to Mr Johnson on or about December 6, 2019. Malik also pleaded guilty to sending similar letters to Birmingham Yardley MP Ms Phillips in December 2019, and to former prime minister Mrs May in September 2019, and when she was still in office in December 2018. He also admitted three counts of making threats to kill West Lancashire MP Ms Cooper in May 2019 and a similar charge of making threats to kill against Ms Phillips in November 2019.
Simon Davis, prosecuting, asked for a short adjournment to allow the Crown to speak with the victims about the impact of Malik’s communications.
Judge Melbourne Inman QC, the Recorder of Birmingham, said: “It’s obviously necessary for the case to be put off for a short time to enable the Crown to deal with matters outstanding. Mr Malik has now pleaded guilty and sentence will be passed on June 11.”
After the hearing, Ms Phillips tweeted: “Today I hope will be some way towards a conclusion in this case in court. Sending massive thanks to the police and also to my staff and other parliamentary staff who are often the first to receive gruesome threats and frightening aggression.”