A North East MP has slammed the homophobic abuse she has been subjected to after one of her own constituents was convicted of harassing her.
Susan Dematas, 53, went on trial at South Tyneside Magistrates' Court on Friday charged with harassing Kate Osborne. The Jarrow MP gave evidence to the court in South Shields.
Following the trial, Dematas, of Falmouth Drive, Jarrow, was found guilty of harassment with violence. She was handed conditional bail until her sentencing hearing at the court on September 16.
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Following the guilty verdict, Ms Osborne released a statement in which she said the judge remarked on the "homophobic content".
She said: "This morning I have been at South Tyneside Magistrates giving evidence as a victim of harassment from a local constituent and I welcome the findings of the court. The defendant was found guilty of harassment without violence with the judge remarking on the homophobic content.
"The homophobic abuse I have been subject to has been totally unacceptable and has no place in our local community or society as a whole. Sadly, these types of instances seem to be taking place more often, with a rising tide of abuse and aggression shown towards MPs being dismissed as just part of the job. For an LGBTQ+ woman the abuse often includes sexist and homophobic attacks.
"We must of course hold all elected representatives accountable for their actions and I am proud of my record of standing up for workers and for a better fairer society - abuse however is unacceptable."
Ms Osborne said there had been a number of incidents of abuse in her constituency with abusive graffiti and stickers - designed to intimidate. She added: "I will not give in to this, as this case shows I will report it to the police when necessary and I will continue being out in my constituency of Jarrow, representing my community without fear of this hatred, using my platform to campaign for a better, more tolerant society.
"I would like to thank both my sister and my team who have helped me through this stressful time, and the Police for their support in pursuing the case.”
Earlier this month, the MP spoke to Chronicle Live about the sexist and homophobic abuse she receives. She highlighted an incident in which she spotted a flyer attached to a lamppost which attacked her politics and also used a homophobic slur.
Ms Osborne shared an image of the leaflet on social media and slammed how freely some abuse public figures. She said: "I don't know whether I get more or less than other MPs, though I think women often get more than men. and of course I get a fair undercurrent of homophobic stuff.
"I wasn't sure whether to put it out. I decided I wanted to do so and I tried to make a more serious point about how we just simply shouldn't have to deal with this kind of thing. Some of the things I and others receive are horrendous and I felt we have to call it out."
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