A Leeds man has been fined after he sent racist tweets to an MP.
Glenn Broadbent, 62, targeted MP David Lammy in a series of vicious tweets on August 2, 2020, which started: "Are you hanging off a tree monkey boy? You will hang from a lamppost if you're not careful."
Broadbent, of Greenside Road, Lower Wortley in Leeds was charged with sending by means of a public electronic communications network a message which was grossly offensive and sending by means of a public electronic communications network a message which was menacing, contrary to the Communications Act 2003.
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Mr Lammy spoke out about the tweet in October 2020, and told of his disappointment that the police had dropped its investigation due to Twitter not cooperating.
The Daily Mail reported at the time that Mr Lammy tweeted the founder of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, and said: "Please explain why you are shielding vile racists who make death threats on your platform? #BlackLivesMatter. You should not be able to push race hate and send death threats with impunity online. Shame on Twitter for failing to act with the Metropolitan Police to identify who sent this threat. #BlackLivesMatter has to be more than a slogan to drive traffic and ad revenue on your website."
A Twitter spokesman said at the time that they were co-operating with the Metropolitan Police, having received and processed the correct information.
When he received the tweet, Mr Lammy - the Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and MP for Tottenham - tweeted: "[The account] who describes himself as a 'logical individual', just told me I will 'hang from a lamppost' if I am 'not careful.' Vile racists like you will not silence me. But social media must not be a platform for threats and abuse. Please pick this up @metpoliceuk."
Broadbent appeared at Leeds Magistrates' Court on Tuesday where he was fined £2, 000 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £128 and court costs of £85. He was also made the subject of a 12-week sentence suspended for 12 months and a restraining order prohibiting him from contacting MP David Lammy directly or indirectly, including social media. The restraining order is in place until May 2027.
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