Man sentenced for sending abusive emails to MP

A Birmingham man who emailed an MP with abuse including telling her ‘hell is real, and you will burn,’ has been sentenced.

Nabil Arif, 36, of Warwick Road, Birmingham, was sentenced yesterday (Monday, 9 September 2024) to 12 weeks' custody at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court for making threats against MP Jess Phillips. He was also made subject of a restraining order barring him from contacting the MP until further notice.

He was convicted of sending by public communication network an offensive, indecent, obscene, or menacing message or matter following a trial at the same court on 29 July 2024.

The correspondence sent to Ms Phillips related to the Israel/Gaza conflict and were sent between 13 October 2023 and 20 February 2024.

In her victim impact statement, Ms Phillips expressed fear that Arif’s aggression towards her might escalate and potentially lead to her coming to physical harm at his hands – which she said had changed her life immeasurably and said: “limited my freedom and my ability to do my job closely with the public as I used to do.”

On 20 February 2024, Arif sent Ms Phillips the final email which caused her alarm and distress. The email called her ‘pathetic’ and threatened that she would ‘burn until her skin is no more’ which prompted her to report the offence to the police the next day.

Richard Purchase of the CPS said: “Members of Parliament have a right to perform their duties and represent their constituents without being subjected to derogatory messages that cause alarm and distress. It is clear that Nabil Arif’s behaviour escalated from the initial emails, leading Ms Phillips to fear for her safety."