A man who sent anti-Semitic messages to Luciana Berger MP and other victims has been jailed for more than two years at Newcastle Crown Court today (February 10).
The 27-month sentence imposed on John Nimmo, 28, of South Shields, was increased by the court after the Crown Prosecution Service argued that some of his offences were motivated by racism.
Nimmo pleaded guilty to nine separate charges and the court was told how he used fake accounts to send messages via Twitter and email during an 18-month campaign of abuse.
Among his victims was Ms Berger, to whom he sent death threats, while in a separate incident he sent offensive emails to an anti-hate crime organisation and threatened to blow up a mosque.
An uplift was applied to the sentence for some of the charges, after the judge accepted that they were motivated by hostility towards the race of the victim. The sentence was increased by 50% for each of the racially-motivated charges.
John Dilworth, from the CPS, said:
“John Nimmo conducted an online campaign of hate-filled abuse in the belief his identity was securely hidden behind the fake accounts that he had created.
“However, there was a clear forensic link between the messages sent and the device used to send them. Nimmo tried to cover his tracks but his clumsy attempts to do so were swiftly exposed and he was arrested by police.
“Working with the police we built a robust case against Nimmo which left him with little option but to plead guilty to all the charges against him.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
· Nimmo admitted four charges of sending a communication conveying a grossly offensive message, three charges conveying a threatening message and two charges of sending a communication conveying false information.
· John Dilworth is Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS North-East
