Councillor who called for Prime Minister to be publicly hanged admits criminal charges
A COUNCILLOR who used his Facebook page to call for Theresa May to be hanged for “treason” has admitted four criminal charges.
Richard Alderman, 72, called for the Prime Minster’s public hanging three days after being elected to Rutland County Council, after posting grossly offensive messages about Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott and Tory MP Anna Soubry.
The independent councillor – described in court as “pro-Brexit and anti-immigration” – refused to say whether he would resign his post as he left Birmingham Magistrates’ Court.
Alderman admitted four charges of sending a menacing or grossly offensive message via the public communication network, including posts describing Ms Abbott as a “monkey” and calling for Ms Soubry to be shot and drowned.
Opening the facts of the case against Alderman, prosecutor James Bruce told the court the charges related to six Facebook posts made this year.
Submitting the comments made about Ms Abbott constituted a hate crime, Mr Bruce told the court: “In essence, Mr Alderman posted publicly on Facebook when responding to news articles with comments that were a mixture of the grossly offensive and menacing.
“They relate to public figures with whom Mr Alderman disagrees with their politics, and came to the attention of the police as a result of Mr Alderman’s election to Rutland County Council on July 12.”
The court heard Alderman, of Lonsdale Way, Oakham, Rutland, admitted six of a number of messages he posted were menacing or offensive, after writing the prime minister’s assassination was “long overdue”.
Alderman will be next Thursday. sentenced