‘Obsessed’ man jailed over vendetta against Welsh MP
AN “OBSESSED” man who conducted a vendetta against a Welsh MP has been jailed. Juan Clegg spat at and said he would “kill” Wrexham Labour MP Ian Lucas’ communications manager David Triggs.
He hurled abuse at the MP’s wife Nora Lucas, the office manager, while Mr Lucas was in the car outside his constituency office.
At Mold Crown Court, Clegg, 33, who previously lived next door to the MP’s office in Rhosddu Road but who now lives at Vernon Road, Wrexham, was jailed for 16 months after he admitted assault, threatening behaviour and being in breach of a restraining order imposed following previous incidents outside the MP’s office.
Judge Niclas Parry said it was an “extremely worrying case” in “extremely worrying times”.
There were people who believed it was “open season” to attack and abuse elected MPs and those who support them in their work.
“It does not need this court to remind the public of the extremes to which some people will go and the tragic results that flow from that,” said Judge Parry.
Clegg had a long-standing grievance against his MP, the court heard.
“It is nothing other than a vendetta against him and his staff,” the judge said.
Clegg had initially been abusive to the MP’s staff and they reacted in a remarkably measured and conciliatory manner – but he ignored that.
A complaint was made in 2018 and he was made the subject of a five-year restraining order. But Clegg was not deterred and he breached the order by verbally abusing the staff going to work.
Prosecuting barrister Matthew Curtis said Clegg approached Mr Triggs on August 28.
Mr Triggs felt intimidated and decided the best thing would be to walk away and get to the office.
But he was followed and Clegg shouted: “I will have you now. I will kill you.”
He then spat at him but fortunately missed.
When Mr Lucas’ wife witnessed what happened Clegg threatened her, causing her distress.
It was aggravated by the fact that it was part of a course of conduct where he targeted the victims and the fact that he had previous convictions for robbery and possession of a firearm and he had served a 68-month prison sentence.
The court heard how an earlier incident at the constituency office occurred at about the time of the murder of Jo Cox, the Labour Party MP for Batley and Spen who died after being shot and stabbed multiple times at Birstall, West Yorkshire, in June 2016.
In October 2018 he had been fined for two offences of threatening behaviour outside the Wrexham MP’s office when a five-year restraining order had been put in place.
Defending solicitor Alun Williams said Clegg had entered a timely guilty plea, co-operated with police after handing himself in and accepted breaching the restraining order.
In a victim impact statement Mr Triggs said no one should feel afraid to go to work. Clegg had intimidated him, he said, and felt he could be dangerous because of the behaviour he had displayed.