5 days ago
Starmer told he should be ‘stabbed and shot' in threatening emails
Sir Keir Starmer was told he should be 'stabbed and shot to death' in a series of threatening emails, a court heard.
Mark Tew, 63, is charged with sending the offensive material to the Prime Minister, a criminal barrister and former Conservative ministers, including Dame Priti Patel.
The emails, which were sent between January and November 2021, were not read by the MPs themselves but were intercepted by their staff who subsequently notified the police, Southwark Crown Court heard.
In one email allegedly sent to the then leader of the Opposition, Mr Tew wrote: 'You should be beaten up Starmer, stabbed to death, shot to dead. You gutless yellow b----- Starmer. Tell the truth you miserable uneducated tosser', the court heard.
In another sent on March 11, Mr Tew was said to have written: 'Starmer, I've heard a lot of journalists are out to get you.
'To beat you up. To kick your f---ing head in. You gutless dirty bastard. You pathetic wimp. You f---ing coward Starmer. I hope they get you and bash the living daylights out of you.'
Paul Jarvis, KC, prosecuting, said: 'The prosecution's case is that Mr Tew was a prolific emailer who would often send emails to politicians and, later, barristers to raise issues and complaints he had with them and others.
'The tone of those emails was frequently rude and discourteous but politicians in particular are expected to be thick-skinned and so while those emails were unpleasant, they were not we would suggest criminal.
'The eight emails that this case is concerned with were different. Their content was more than just rude and discourteous, but contained either a grossly offensive message or indeed threats or both.'
The first of Mr Tew's messages was sent in January 2021 to Ms Patel, who was then the home secretary.
He sent an email with an image of a man attached in which he wrote: 'Patel, you thick Ugandan b----, was this man in the IRA? He says he was in the IRA. Was he?', the court heard.
Ms Patel's staff reported the email to the police, and Mr Tew was arrested for sending a malicious communication.
He told the police he was autistic and suffered from several medical conditions for which he was receiving medication, the court heard.
When the police seized his phone, they found the emails that had been sent to Sir Keir, as well as Rishi Sunak, the then chancellor, and Ben Wallace, the former defence secretary.
Mr Tew, of Camden, north London denies six counts of sending an electronic communication with intent to cause stress or anxiety, and two counts of sending an indecent or grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause stress or anxiety.
