A FORMER Cambridge University research fellow who sent fake poison to Theresa May and was found with child abuse images has been jailed.
Christopher Doyle, of Widnes in Cheshire, sent white powder to then-prime minister May just one month after the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury.
The 2018 letter was addressed to "Theresa May, c/o The Nazi Party" and accompanied with a cartoon poster showing her as decapitated and a picture of Alexander Litvinenko, the former spy and Putin critic who died after being poisoned in London in 2006.
When police raided his home they found more than 245,000 indecent images of children on a laptop.
Today Doyle was sentenced to two years and 10 months at Liverpool Crown Court.
The court heard that the mail was examined on April 5 2018 at a Swiss Post screening facility which had to be evacuated.
Judge Anil Murray said: "Sergei Skripal had been poisoned just about a month before this letter was opened and so the issue of poisoning was high in the nation's consciousness.
"This was a serious offence intended by you to induce fear of danger to human life."
Doyle had denied sending the powder, which was found to be harmless, but was convicted following a trial.
The court heard the 54-year-old, who had a PhD in neuroscience and said he previously worked at UK Government facility Porton Down, suffered from bipolar affective disorder.
He told police he had also written a letter to Boris Johnson criticising his attitude to Russia and a letter to then Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in which he praised him.
The court heard he told officers he believed the powder may have been planted in the letter by MI5 or MI6.
Mark Pritchard, defending, said Doyle had been living with agoraphobia since 2013 following the death of a friend.
He said: "He has gone from being a successful research fellow at Cambridge University to living in almost isolation.
"He has been in a bubble of pro-Russian Facebook groups to which he has been a member."
Murray told the defendant: "You are a highly intelligent man.
"You know the effects your condition has.
"These were not spur of the moment offences."
Doyle pleaded guilty to making indecent photographs of children but Judge Murray said he did not accept his claim that he did not have them for his own sexual gratification.
He was ordered to sign the sexual offenders' register and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order.
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