closeicon
News

Jeremy Corbyn supporter sentenced for vile abuse against Jewish MPs Luciana Berger and Ruth Smeeth

He called one 'vile and useless' and another a 'red Tory traitor'

articlemain

A Jeremy Corbyn supporter has been sentenced after admitting sending vile abuse to Jewish Labour MPs Luciana Berger and Ruth Smeeth.

Labour activist Nick Nelson, 29, was given a 20-week suspended prison sentence on Monday at Westminster Magistrates' Court after calling Ms Berger a "vile useless Tory c**t" who was "using Judaism as a weapon".

In another message, he labelled Ms Smeeth a "red Tory traitor."

District Judge Tan Ikram said the only reason he did not send Nelson to jail was he admitted his actions to police and pleaded guilty to the charge of harassment in court.

Nelson pleaded guilty to two offences of “harassment without violence” as the judge heard how he sent “abusive and unpleasant” emails to Ms Berger in March, before leaving similarly abusive telephone messages for Ms Smeeth two months later.

These were intercepted by Ms Smeeth’s assistant Cathy Perry.

The JC understands that Nelson also made a series of threatening phone calls to the consituency offices of both MPs.

Nelson's lawyer, who refused to give her name to journalists in court, said her client was angry about the debate over antisemitism in Mr Corbyn's Labour, adding: "He felt rightly or wrongly that the two MPs were trying to destabilise the Labour Party and Jeremy Corbyn's leadership."

A Labour spokesperson told the JC that Mr Nelson was currently not a member of the party.

In March, MP Wes Streeting, who has been vocal in the fight against Labour antisemitism, received an abusive email from Nelson, in which he wrote: "Resign, go f**k yourself or better yet kill yourself you worthless Tory."

Share via

Want more from the JC?

To continue reading, we just need a few details...

Want more from
the JC?

To continue reading, we just
need a few details...

Get the best news and views from across the Jewish world Get subscriber-only offers from our partners Subscribe to get access to our e-paper and archive