Man who threatened MP Joanna Cherry on Twitter sentenced

A man who sent threatening messages on Twitter to SNP MP Joanna Cherry has been ordered not to contact her for five years.

Grant Karte, 30, was also given a community payback order, supervised for 15 months, with 160 hours of unpaid work in the community.

Ms Cherry contacted police following a threat on February 1, the day she was dropped from her party's Westminster front office during a reshuffle.

Karte, 30, previously admitted sending messages on Twitter on February 1 that were “grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or threatening character”, as he repeatedly threatened Ms Cherry, contrary to the law. communications from 2003.

Sentencing Karte at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Friday, Sheriff Alistair Noble said: “You have pleaded guilty to a serious charge, a charge involving threats against a member of parliament.

“Your threat had implications of violence and one interpretation of what was said was sexual violence. »

Sheriff Noble said he felt it was not necessary to impose a period of detention and instead imposed a community payback order, but warned Karte that if he failed to comply with the order he will have to return to court.

Ms Cherry, MP for South West Edinburgh, was the SNP's justice and home affairs spokesperson at Westminster until the February reshuffle.

Sheriff Noble also imposed a five-year non-harassment order on Karte which prohibits him from contacting Ms Cherry from July 30.

Defense agent Simon Collins, representing Karte, said a psychiatric report prepared before sentencing was positive and “reflects his regret and remorse regarding the incident”.

Learn more

Trial blogger Alex Salmond will 'go to prison in good conscience'

Greta Thunberg attacks Science Museum over Shell 'gagging clause'

Boy suffers 'serious injuries' in dog attack in Stoke-on-Trent