A 39-year-old man from Devon has been sentenced to 28 weeks in jail for sending malicious and abusive emails to a government minister, the Mayor of London, and a senior Metropolitan Police officer.
Jack Bennett, of Newlands Park, Seaton, pleaded guilty to four counts of sending offensive communications—one to Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips, one to Metropolitan Police officer Matt Twist, and two to London Mayor Sadiq Khan. He also admitted to using a public communication network to send offensive emails.
Exeter Magistrates’ Court heard that Bennett had been exposed to far-right propaganda during the COVID-19 pandemic, which fueled his hateful and abusive rhetoric, particularly against Muslims and immigrants. District Judge Stuart Smith condemned the emails as “utterly deplorable, foul, abusive, and saturated in hate.” The court was also told that the messages left the recipients feeling fearful, particularly MP Jess Phillips, who was deeply affected given the murder of her colleague Jo Cox in 2016.
In addition to his prison sentence, Bennett was issued a five-year restraining order, prohibiting any contact with the three public figures.
