Man who told MP Jess Phillips she would ‘burn until her skin is no more’ jailed

Nabil Arif, 36, sent the Birmingham Yardley MP abusive messages relating to the Israel/Gaza conflict.

Labour Birmingham Yardley MP Jess Phillips (Yui Mok/PA) (PA Archive)

A man who emailed Labour MP Jess Phillips saying she would “burn until her skin is no more” has been jailed.

Nabil Arif, 36, sent Ms Phillips, the MP for Birmingham Yardley since 2015, abusive messages relating to the Israel/Gaza conflict between October 13 2023 and February 20 this year, including one that said “hell is real, and you will burn”.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Arif, of Warwick Road, Birmingham, was sentenced on Monday at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court to 12 weeks in custody and was also made subject of a restraining order barring him from contacting the MP until further notice.

He was convicted of sending, by public communication network, an offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing message or matter following a trial at the same court on July 29.

In a victim impact statement read out to the court, Ms Phillips expressed fear that Arif’s aggression towards her might escalate and potentially lead to her coming to physical harm at his hands, which she said had changed her life “immeasurably” and “limited my freedom and my ability to do my job closely with the public as I used to do”.

The final email, which prompted her to report Arif to the police, was sent on February 20 and called her “pathetic”, adding that she would “burn until her skin is no more”.

Richard Purchase of the CPS said: “Members of Parliament have a right to perform their duties and represent their constituents without being subjected to derogatory messages that cause alarm and distress.

“It is clear that Nabil Arif’s behaviour escalated from the initial emails, leading Ms Phillips to fear for her safety.

“The CPS acted promptly to secure a conviction against Arif to prevent further offending.

“I hope this case serves as a reminder that we take offences like these seriously and are committed to holding perpetrators accountable for their actions.”