Serial troll back behind bars after threatening MP
A SERIAL internet troll is facing jail for a second time after making anti-Semitic death threats to a Labour MP in which he told her she would “get it like Jo Cox”.
John Nimmo, 28, from South Shields, sent two emails to Luciana Berger where he told her to “watch your back Jewish scum”.
The second message to the 35-yearold MP for Wavertree, who is running to become Mayor of Liverpool, also included a picture of a large knife.
It was sent three weeks after Ms Cox, the MP for Batley, died after being shot and stabbed following a constituency meeting.
Nimmo was previously jailed in 2014 for eight weeks for sending abusive messages on Twitter to Caroline Criado-Perez, a feminist campaigner, and Stella Creasy, another Labour MP.
His first message made reference to Joshua Bonehill-Paine, who is charged with a racially or religiously aggravated hate crime against Ms Berger.
Sent at 7.54pm on July 6, it said: “Justice for Joshua Bonehill-Paine will be sweet, he has friends everywhere. Watch your back Jewish scum, regards your friend the Nazi.”
He then followed it up two days later with a message saying: “You will get it like Jo Cox did, you better watch your back Jewish scum.” He sent it just as Ms Berger was leaving her office in the early evening.
South Tyneside magistrates’ court heard a statement from Ms Berger, the former shadow minister for mental health, in which she said it had caused her “great fear and anguish”. “I was extremely concerned for my safety and I felt completely under threat. I had previously received anti-Semitic messages and threats but the reference to Jo Cox was terrifying,” she said. “The biggest concern was not knowing who this was, for all I knew the offender could have resided next door to me.”
Glenda Beck, prosecuting, told the court that Nimmo had been on bail at the time for emailing Tell Mama, a group that supports victims of antiMuslim hatred, saying he would burn down a mosque.
Ian Alexander, the chairman of the bench, told Nimmo that the seriousness of the offences meant he would send it to crown court for sentencing. Along with Isabella Sorley, Nimmo pleaded guilty at Westminster magistrates’ court in 2014 to abusing Ms Criado-Perez and Ms Creasy.
Ms Criado-Perez was targeted after leading a social media campaign lobbying for a woman to appear on a Bank of England note.
Paul Kennedy, defending, had argued for a suspended sentence, saying “he says these things for attention” and “does not desire to carry out these threats”.
Nimmo admitted two charges of sending malicious communications to Ms Berger. The case will next be heard at Newcastle Crown Court in August.
Nimmo was remanded in custody.