A MAN has been charged with allegedly sending threatening emails to MPs, including calling former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn a “terrorist” and warning others they faced being assassinated.
Court documents show Paul Ritchie, 34, has been charged with nearly 30 counts of sending a letter, communication or article conveying a threatening message against a series of politicians.
Alleged victims include former Commons Speaker John Bercow, former attorney general Dominic Grieve QC, ex-LibDem leader Jo Swinson, former home secretary Amber Rudd, one-time London mayoral candidate and ex-Cabinet minister Rory Stewart, SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, and current LibDem leader Sir Ed Davey.
Court documents show Ritchie is accused of sending Corbyn an email in March 2019 containing the message: “You should be hung for treason you f****** terrorist”.
The same month he allegedly sent an email to the Speaker’s office, saying “1 in 17 million is bad odds for some nutter to pull a Jo Cox on you and your staff”, the indictment said, and a week later allegedly added in another email: “Be careful… [y]ou wouldn’t want to get run over”.
In other messages to Bercow’s office, Ritchie is alleged to have threatened: “I’m going to milkshake you you prick”, and made references to Brexit and democracy.
In a couple of messages to Blackford in June 2019, court documents claim Ritchie sent the threats “I hope you die” and “I dare you to come to the pub in Westminster and say some of the shit you do in the house”.
In an email on May 2019 to former politician Chuka Umunna, who represented several parties, Ritchie is alleged to have written: “You have been warned… shut your f****** mouth boy”.
In July that year, he is said to have followed up with: “If you kill brexit… [w]e will kill you and your entire family”.
And he allegedly told Stewart in June 2019: “If you block Brexit… you like likely [sic] be assassinated”.
Court documents alleged he told Swinson she deserved to be hanged, he claimed to Rudd that she was “definitely going to be assassinated”.
A court official at Westminster Magistrates’ Court said Ritchie, of Dolphinton, Lanarkshire, Scotland, would be called to enter his pleas on February 25.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article