Man could be jailed for sending threatening emails to congresswoman

A 33-year-old man has been warned he could be jailed for sending threatening emails to a female MP.

Liam McCarthy, of Copperfield Road, Southampton, appeared at the city’s magistrates’ court and admitted sending emails for Caroline Knox between May 15, 2022, and March 4 last year. and leave voice messages.

Prosecutor Victoria Hill told the court McCarthy initially contacted Conservative MPs for Romsey and Southampton North to complain about a “lack of support for people aged 18 to 25”.

“He went on to talk about the issues he had with the Department for Work and Pensions and debt collection agencies.

“They ended up not meeting because the defendant canceled the appointment because he felt he was unprepared.

“The emails continued and by August 2022 they began to become threatening.

“At the time, the defendant said he would use violence against members of the Department for Work and Pensions. He said he would kill them; he went on to say he would not kill them but would actually harm them.”

Ms Knox responded that she would not stand for threatening or abusive emails, but they kept coming.

Ms Hill said: “There were emails coming in over a considerable period of time – he had threatened to eliminate another MP, Alan Whitehead.

“He made implicit threats against (Knox), saying she and others were on his list.”

McCarthy also admitted leaving threatening voicemails to Steve Smith, head of stronger communities, neighborhoods and housing at Southampton City Council, between November 14 and 21, 2022.

“He said things like: ‘I’m going to find you, I’m going to destroy you, I swear to God – I mean that as a threat’,” Ms Hill told the court.

McCarthy will be sentenced on May 30.

District Judge Anthony Callaway told him: “People who, like Mr Smith, go about their business as an MP or otherwise have a right to conduct their own business without fear of being threatened.

“This is a very serious matter and in my judgment may exceed the custody threshold.”