Angela Eagle: Man who sent death threat to Labour MP avoids jail

Steven King wrote an email to Ms Eagle saying: 'next time you see me I'll be with a real gun or knife cutting your life to an end'

Former Shadow Cabinet Minister Angela Eagle launches her bid for the Labour leadership at a press conference at Savoy Place on July 11 (Getty Images)

A man who admitted sending death threats to Labour MP Angela Eagle, including an email saying "if you become leader of the Labour party... you will die B**ch", has avoided jail.

Steven King, from Paisley, Scotland, was handed a suspended sentence on Wednesday after he admitted sending a grossly offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing message to the MP by a public communications network.

The 45-year-old sent the email on 12 July, the day after Ms Eagle announced she would stand against Jeremy Corbyn in the Labour leadership contest.

In the message he said: "This is my one and only warning next time you see me I'll be with a real gun or knife cutting your life to an end."

A spokesman for the Wallasey MP told Wirral Magistrates' Court the email, which was initially opened by a constituency officer manager for Wirral South, led staff to fear for their safety.

He said: "The death threat received by Angela's office was credible and frightening."

"Despite all this having been upsetting, Angela has always remained upbeat and focused on the important work of holding this rotten Tory government to account, most importantly on their chaotic approach to Britain leaving the European Union and investment into the Wirral."

The court heard King sent the email to "let off steam" over Ms Eagle's leadership bid and had no intention to act on any of the threats he made, ITV reports.

King said he had drunk whisky before sending the email, but was not drunk as he had sent the message before going to work that afternoon.

Magistrates said the case was severe enough for King to face jail time given the language used in the email and the political environment at the time, which was less than a month after the murder of MP Jo Cox.

King was given an eight-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to complete a 25-day rehabilitation order and 80 hours of unpaid work, Merseyside Police said. He was also told to pay £200 costs.

A probe by the Labour Party confirmed Ms Eagle was subject to homophobic abuse, intimidation, and it was “very likely” a window of her local office was smashed in relation to her leadership challenge against Mr Corbyn.

The findings of the confidential inquiry claim Ms Eagle’s constituency office in the Liscard area of Wallasey, Merseyside, was vandalised and the atmosphere of her constituency Labour party (CLP) became “toxic and divided in the extreme”.

At the time of the brick incident some supporters dismissed the suggestion that the former shadow Business Secretary was the target, while others claimed allegations of homophobia were “completely untrue”.

The report, however, which draws on 100 anonymous witness statements, dismisses these suggestions and adds that allegations will now be passed on to the disputes panel regarding individual disciplinary action.

Additional reporting by Press Association