A racist who told David Lammy to “go back to the jungle” and threatened to kill other MPs over their opposition to Brexit was jailed today.
Jarod Kirkman, 51, used a fake email address to target a cross-party selection of prominet “Remain” MPs – including Tory ex-cabinet minister Nicky Morgan and Labour’s Yvette Cooper.
Kirkman sent 19 emails telling his victims to “f**k off and die” and that their “days were numbered” between December 4 and January 21.
But when questioned by police he claimed he had “forgotten” he had sent them. The MPs included Ms Cooper and Jenny Chapman from Labour, along with Ms Morgan, and former Conservative Nick Boles. Independent Group MPs Sarah Wollaston and Heidi Allen were also targeted.
MP David Lammy was targetted three times and told to “go back to the jungle where you belong n*”.
Kirkman, who named himself Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in the messages while using email addresses such as mp@deadpoliticianwalking.com and putin@fsb.ru, was caught after police linked his IP address to his home in Bedfordhsire.
Reading out the message Ms Allen received, prosecutor Andrea Scott-Lynch said: “It read ‘your days are numbered bitch, will it be Novichok or polonium, either way you’ll never know – expect it soon.”
Kirkman then rang Ms Allen’s constituency phone twice, but got no answer. Ms Scott-Lynch said that “three messages were sent on January 8 to Nick Boles, Yvette Cooper and Nicky Morgan” from ‘Vladamir Putin’.
She said: “A message sent to Nick Boles read your days are f***ing numbered traitor – prepare to die.
“A message sent to Yvette Cooper read your f***ing days are numbered bitch – death will be swift.
“A message sent to Nicky Morgan read your days are numbered bitch – death will be swift.
“A message sent to Yvette Cooper read f*** off and die bitch, your days are numbered.”
Kirkman also sent Ms Wollaston message saying “your days are numbered bitch, the end will be swift” while Ms Chapman received a message saying “your f***ing days are numbered bitch”.
The prosecutor said: “Three messages were sent to Mr Lammy between December 13 and January 21.”
One read “go back to the jungle n* where you belong” another read “f off and die in the jungle where you belong n***”, and one purporting to be from Tommy Robinson read “go back to the jungle where you belong”.
The emails were opened by staff of the MPs, who were “shocked by the disgusting” messages and on one occasion burst into tears.
Ms Cooper’s staff member had also worked in West Yorkshire where Jo Cox was killed and was fearful for her life.
Ms Scott-Lynch said when he was presented with the emails by police, Kirkman claimed he had completely forgotten he had sent them.
She said: “He thought so little about it that he almost forgot he had sent them.
“He said he had no intention of carrying out these statements and that he had been stupid – he is a passionate pro-leaver and said he feared for the country if there was another vote. “He said he was just being a stupid idiot over Brexit.”
Gregory Wedge, in mitigation, said that in “hindsight” Kirkman would not have sent the emails and that he was under stress caring for his unwell mother after his father died.
Mr Wedge said: “He has accepted what he has done, he says he was a stupid man making stupid decisions.”
Chief Magistrate and Senior District Judge Emma Arbuthnot said threatening MPs threatens the democratic process.
She said: “You deliberately targeted members of Parliament and from the safety of their own home threatened them, these MPs who were simply trying to do their jobs.
“They shouldn’t be threatened by someone hiding behind a screen, someone that would never say this things to their faces.
“The message needs to go out people who threaten MPs are threatening our democratic process.
“You are a typical troll sending odious messages who presented yourself as a pitiful figure.”
Kirkman, of Luton, admitted seven counts of sending malicious communications at Westminster Magistrates’ Court earlier this month has was sentenced today at the same court.
He received 30 weeks for the six threatening emails and 12 more weeks for the racially abusive email Mr Lammy received.
He was slapped with a restraining order which bans him from contacting any of the seven MPs – he has also been banned from sending threatening messages to any MPs.
He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £140. He made no reaction when sentenced.
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