A social media user is facing jail for sending a racist and violent threat to former Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
Mark Davies, 52, used X – formerly known as Twitter – to direct a message at the senior Conservative politician, writing: “I want to wrap a stick or baseball bat around your P*** head.”
The Tweet from May 21 last year was accompanied by a laughing crying emoji, and was also copied to some of his friends.
At Westminster magistrates court on Wednesday, Davies, from Norfolk Square in Brighton, admitted sending a grossly offensive public message.
He tried to argue the racist insult and violent threat were actually aimed at his friend, and claimed to the court that he “actually likes” Mrs Braverman.
But District Judge Michael Snow rejected the “unlikely” explanation, and told Davies: “I don’t believe this and no jury could believe this.
“You will be sentenced on the basis that this was directed at the formerHome Secretary.”
The tweet was sent the day after Mrs Braverman was accused in the media of asking for civil service help when responding to a speeding ticket. At the time, she was the Home Secretary and leading the government’s response to the small boats crisis.
Prosecutor Andrew Pellington said Davies was tracked down by a Twitter analyst as the person responsible for the public message, and he refused to answer questions when interviewed by police.
“It was targeted offending, on a platform for the world to see,” he said.
Chloe Lennon, representing Davies, argued he had responded to a thread about the former Home Secretary, but the offensive message was actually aimed at his friend.
“Him and his friends have a poor taste in humour,” she said. “It is the way he and his friends communicate, in a banterous nature in Tweets.
“There was no intention of directing it at Mrs Braverman, but the guilty plea accepts others may be offended by it.”
She also handed up an email from one of Davies’ friends saying he “was not offended by the Tweet”.
Ms Lennon added that Davies insists he “actually likes Suella Braverman and didn’t intend for her to be included”.
Judge Snow was shown a photograph of the man Davies says he aimed the racist slur at, but then concluded: “The victim was Mrs Braverman.”
He warned Davies he faces a possible jail term when he is sentenced on June 12.
“Everyone who is a political leader is extremely vulnerable to this type of behaviour, which undermines the fundamentals of our democratic process,” he said.
“Courts have to take a tough line.”
Davies was set free on bail until sentencing.
