Angela Rayner: Man jailed for sending abusive voicemails to MP

Angela Rayner said the abuse made her question working as an MP

A man who left abusive voicemails for Labour Party deputy leader Angela Rayner has been jailed for eight weeks.

The Ashton-under-Lyne MP said she "burst into tears" and was left "scared out of her wits" after being targeted by Stuart Kelly.

Westminster Magistrates' Court heard one message, left on 15 October 2021, said: "I hope you get shot."

The court heard Kelly, 53, of Halifax, who pleaded guilty, had linked Ms Rayner to Sir David Amess' murder.

The machine operator pleaded guilty to sending offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing messages last month.

Kelly was also handed a two-year restraining order against the MP.

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring said the calls were "offensive" and "menacing" and "contain a reference to wishing her to be shot".

'Inexcusable behaviour'

The court heard Kelly had linked Ms Rayner's comments at the Labour Party conference in September, when she called Prime Minister Boris Johnson "scum", to the murder of the Conservative MP.

Sir David, 69, was stabbed to death at a surgery in his Leigh-on-Sea constituency in Essex.

Later that day, Kelly left three voicemail messages for Ms Rayner at her constituency office during a 30-minute period.

One said: "I hope you get shot. You contributed to his death, you dirty scum."

In another, Kelly accused Ms Rayner of being a murderer.

Ms Rayner said in a statement she was "no stranger" to criticism and had developed a "thick skin" during her career.

"When I saw the content of the email and voicemails I burst into tears," she said. "I am scared out of my wits, not only for my own safety but also the safety of my family, children and staff."

She said it had left her "frightened" to leave her house and had "completely changed" her as a person, and it "caused me to question the job I do".

Ms Rayner said it was "absolutely devastating" to be accused of being linked to Sir David's death and added: "Over the last five years I have seen two close colleagues stabbed to death in the line of duty."

She said the murders of MP Jo Cox and Sir David had made her worried the same thing could happen to her.

Zaki Hashmi, defending Kelly, said: "The behaviour was inexcusable, Mr Kelly was drunk. That is an explanation rather than a justification for what he did."

A second man, Michael McGrath, 70, of Sheffield, also admitted sending an abusive email to Ms Rayner's office.

He was previously given a six-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.

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