Former Coventry council leader had house 'shot at twice'

A former council leader has revealed she was subjected to threats of rape and kidnap and had her house shot at twice.

Ann Lucas was the first woman to be elected leader of Coventry City Council in 2013 and claims some of the threats were made because she was a woman.

Her home is now fitted with a fireproof letterbox and security cameras.

She is also serving on a Local Government Association task force to get more women involved in politics.

She said "in this day and age" there should not be "barriers".

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Ms Lucas's account comes the same week that the UK celebrated 100 years since the first British women won the right to vote.

"I don't know any other male colleagues... who have been told that they should be abducted, kidnapped, raped, tortured," she said.

"I believe in this day and age when men and women should be equal partners, we shouldn't actually have these barriers."

Shots were twice fired through Ann Lucas's windows

Ms Lucas was leader of the city council between 2013 and 2016.

"Any woman who reaches a level of seniority in politics has to expect a certain level of criticism and for people to not like you very much.

"But when an attack becomes personal, then you're not talking politics, you're talking something a lot more sinister."

She has installed a panic alarm, while her letterbox has a safety feature so that "firebombs and human faeces don't come bounding through".

Earlier this week Yardley MP Jess Phillips said in one night she received 600 rape threats.

For more on this story watch Sunday Politics on BBC One in the Midlands at 11:00 BST on Sunday 17 June.