Grandfather who threatened to strangle Keir Starmer and shoot James Cleverly ... trends now
A grandfather who threatened to strangle Sir Keir Starmer and shoot James Cleverly in sweary emails has narrowly avoided jail.
Retired welder Berthold Dwinger sent the 'malicious' and 'threatening' emails to the offices of both prominent MPs to voice his concerns on current affairs such as the conflict in Gaza.
The 74-year-old, from Littleport in Cambridgeshire, told Home Secretary Mr Cleverly he was 'lucky' we didn't have guns in the UK as he'd 'shoot' him and 'every single one of you front bench b******s'.
Just a month later, frustrated at the opposition leader's position on the conflict in Gaza, the father-of-three sent an expletive-riddled email all in capitals to Sir Keir, telling him his party were 'no better than the Tories' and that they were 'two cheeks of the same arse'.
When later questioned by police about his comments, he told officers he stood by his words that he would strangle Sir Keir - despite dismissing the threatening nature of his email by referring to Starmer as a 'poor boy'.
Dwinger was handed a four-month suspended prison sentence suspended for two years.
Retired welder Berthold Dwinger (pictured), from Littleport in Cambridgeshire, sent both politicians expletive-filled emails
The 74-year-old stood by his words that he would strangle Sir Keir Starmer when asked by police officers
He was also slapped with a restraining order not to contact either Sir Keir or Mr Cleverly for two years.
In a statement to the court, Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle decried the emails as putting 'democracy itself at risk' in potentially scaring MPs into leaving their posts.
He also referred to the deaths of both MP Jo Cox in 2016 and Sir David Amess in 2021, adding that MPs should be able to perform their duties in 'an environment of safety'.
Dwinger had previously admitted two charges contrary to the 2003 Communications Act.
Prosecutor Thomas Murphy told the sentencing hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court that Dwinger had sent an email to the office of James Cleverly MP on December 9 with a subject line reading: 'You are lacking moral compass'.
The email, focusing on no political subject in particular, called Cleverly 'incompetent' and told him he needed
