Keir Starmer and Emily Thornberry: Man gets curfew over emails

David Knott's emails were often laced with profanities and contained threats to protest outside the politicians' constituency offices

A man who sent a stream of threatening emails to Sir Keir Starmer and Emily Thornberry has been given a restraining order and an overnight curfew.

David Knott, from Islington, was found guilty of two counts of harassment against staff members of his local MP Ms Thornberry and the Labour leader.

Knott claimed he sent the messages as a "form of protest" over his housing.

At Westminster Magistrates' Court, the 46-year-old was ordered not to contact Sir Keir.

He is allowed to contact Ms Thornberry or her office in a single communication in response to a matter where she has been in touch with him first.

Knott's eight-week overnight curfew will require him to wear a tag.

A member of Sir Keir Starmer's staff said the "language and tone of the emails" had been very distressing

Sentencing Knott, District Judge Michael Snow told him: "We live in a rather frightening time because individuals hide behind written communication and frequently abuse and threaten members of the public, public faces and politicians.

"All these people are entitled to go about their business without fear of harassment or distress."

Knott's trial last month heard how he sent a combined 450 emails to the MPs, related to an "ongoing casework matter" about housing.

The emails were often laced with profanities and contained threats to protest outside the politicians' constituency offices.

Shadow secretary of state for international trade Emily Thornberry is Knott's local MP

Knott told the court he had been trying to complain about the condition of his former flat in Camden - which he said left him and his late quadriplegic partner "sleepless for six months".

Knott's defence lawyer Sabrina Felix said the case had been a "sharp shock to his system" and he expressed his "sincere apologies for having caused his alleged victims to feel the way they did".