The key facts
- Kieran Kyle sent three threatening letters on 2 May, the day Badenoch apologised for the mistaken use of Bloody Sunday footage
- He pleaded guilty to two counts on 22 September at Westminster Magistrates' Court
- The judge doubted the defence's claim that the defendant did not know who Badenoch was
Sentence in the case of threats against the Conservative leader
Kieran Kyle, a 43-year-old from Gillingham (Kent), has been sentenced to 20 weeks of imprisonment for sending letters with death threats to Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch. According to BBC News, the former school teacher sent three letters on 2 May, in which he made racist remarks and claimed he had been a member of the IRA; in one of the letters he wrote that Badenoch would 'get a bullet in her head' if she came to Belfast. Kyle pleaded guilty to two counts of sending offensive messages on 22 September at Westminster Magistrates' Court, where the sentence was handed down on Monday.
Context of the letters and the parties' positions
The messages were sent on the same day that Badenoch apologised for the fact that a video posted on 28 April on her social media criticising the Northern Ireland legacy legislation mistakenly used footage connected with Bloody Sunday. She stated that she had not approved the clip and that it was released by 'very young people'. On 30 January 1972, in the Bogside area of Derry, soldiers of the Parachute Regiment shot dead 13 unarmed civilian participants of a civil rights march. The prosecution noted that Badenoch and her husband Hamish were 'upset' and 'distressed', particularly by the racist language and threats of violence; the head of her parliamentary office, Cheryl Bacon, described the letters as 'disgusting'. The defence argued that Kyle 'did not know' who Badenoch was and only found out later by googling her. The judge disagreed, pointing out that the first letter had been sent to the politician's husband, meaning the defendant 'clearly knew' who she was, since he had first found her spouse's details.
Victims' statement and restrictions
In a victim impact statement read out in court, the couple stressed that their main concern was not personal harm but the fact that malicious messages and targeted harassment 'undermine healthy democracy': public service depends on people's willingness to enter politics, yet they increasingly face hostility and attempts to intimidate or silence them. In addition to the prison term, the judge issued Kyle a restraining order: for five years he may not contact Badenoch, her husband or her parliamentary office.
Image source, PA Media Kieran Kyle said Kemi Badenoch would get 'a bullet in her head' if she went to Belfast, the court heard
Image source, PA Media The Tory leader was said to have been left upset and distressed by the messages
