50 MP hate complaints since Jo’s death
A SPECIALIST police team set up to investigate crimes against MPs has probed more than 50 complaints in the six months since Jo Cox’s murder.
Cases of hate-filled messages, harassment and criminal damage were reported to the Met’s parliamentary liaison and investigation team between August and early February.
Late last year, it emerged that nearly £640,000 was spent on bolstering security for MPs in the wake of the killing of Jo, who was shot and stabbed by neo-Nazi Thomas Mair in June, just days before the EU referendum.
Labour’s Rachael Maskell had a picture of a body with a severed head mailed to her in the wake of her colleague’s murder. The York Central MP said: “I think I was in such shock over what happened to Jo – her family were very much in the forefront of my mind – and that seemed to overwhelm everything.
“So, in some ways I was probably slightly removed. I was just in shock.”
Tom Brake, the Lib Dem chief whip, said that while there is more security for MPs, including armed police at Westminster, social media sites like Twitter have made the problem worse – especially for women.
He said: “I would suspect every single member of Parliament has received this abuse.
“You just know that for every abusive email I am going to get, women are probably going to get five.”
EVERY second of little Ava Neilson’s life could be her last.
A brain injury when she was born means the three-year-old is at constant risk of stopping breathing or choking to death.
Mum Julie has to watch her all the time and can never leave her alone during the day. A special alarm alerts her if Ava stops breathing in her sleep.
It’s a grinding, terrifying, heartbreaking ordeal. But through it all, Ava’s beaming smile keeps Julie going.
She is battling to raise the £17,000 she needs to take her little girl to central America for stem cell treatment she hopes will transform Ava’s life.
“Every day, I’m there to fight the fight with her,” said Julie, 36, of Airdrie.
“I do lose it from time to time. My broken heart breaks free, as watching my child suffering just gets too much while the world goes on regardless.
“But Ava’s so strong and determined that even when I’m at my lowest, she continues to fight.
“She gives me the strength I need. Her heartwarming smile makes every tear worth it.
“In these moments, I really appreciate how lucky I am to have her in my life.”
Ava was delivered by emergency Caesarean at Wishaw General Hospital after Julie suffered pre-eclampsia, and her brain was starved of oxygen during the birth. She was left with life-limiting cerebral palsy.
All Ava’s limbs are affected. Her hearing and vision are impaired. She has no fine motor skills and Julie has do to everything for her. She is trapped in her own body.
But of all Ava’s problems, those affecting her ability to breathe and swallow properly are the most frightening.
Julie said: “Ava chokes several times a day, and every time is just as scary as the first time.
“I worry, ‘Will this be the one that takes her from me?’
“It’s a very hard thing to watch, and you have to watch it on a daily basis.
“You help her, and you move on, and you take her mind off it as well. Although sometimes, the realisation will hit you.
“Ava can’t be left alone for even a second. I need another person in the house at all times just to do the things most people take for granted – using the toilet, making a coffee or cooking a meal.
“To ensure she doesn’t choke and die in her sleep – and to give me a little sleep – Ava uses an alarm that will wake me if she stops breathing for 20 seconds.
“She only tends to sleep for two to three hours and needs sedation to help her.
“She is fully dependent on me for everything. She even needs help to play.
“Ava doesn’t have a lot of muscle tone so she doesn’t cough properly. She’s at a very high risk of chest infections. And because of her problems, even a cold could kill her.”
Ava needs help from a suction machine several times a day to prevent her from choking.
Moving causes her immense pain. One of her hips is dislocated because of the spasms she suffers and she will need surgery in the future.
When Ava is moved, it puts pressure on her tummy which can make her vomit and increases the risk of choking.
Julie, who also has a 19-yearold daughter Kayleigh, had to
Ava gives me the strength I need. Her smile makes every tear worth it