Judge criticised as man who told Tory MP he was ‘coming for him’ escapes jail
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A judge who set free a nuisance caller who told a Tory MP he was “coming for him” has been criticised for “sending the wrong message”.
Judge Neeta Minhas spared James Phillips, 46, a jail sentence after he admitted making threatening phone calls to the office of Mike Freer.
She told Westminster magistrates’ court that Phillips “doesn’t need to be punished” with prison for his offences towards the MP for Finchley and Golders Green.
But the district judge, who handed the defendant a community order and a restraining order, has been criticised for being too lenient in her sentencing on Wednesday.
Sir Robert Buckland, the former justice secretary, said it was right to jail people for abusing MPs and that a stronger message had to be sent.
It comes amid growing concern in recent months over MPs’ safety since the outbreak of the war in Gaza.
Mr Freer, who has pro-Israel views, is standing down as an MP at the next election over fears for his safety.
His office was burned down in a suspected arson attack on Christmas Eve last year and he previously revealed how he escaped a meeting in 2021 with Ali Harbi Ali, the terrorist who later murdered MP Sir David Amess.
Mr Freer announced on Jan 31 that he was leaving Parliament, the same day that Phillips, of Brampton Park Road, north London, made threatening calls to the MP’s constituency office.
Prosecutor Adrita Ahmed told the court: “The first call was all heavy breathing, the second call was also heavy breathing.”
Phillips spoke to a member of Mr Freer’s staff, she said, telling them: “Make sure to tell the police that I’m coming for you c--t, not just Mike Freer, but you as well.”
Phillips was arrested on Feb 6 and tried to punch a police officer while in custody.
Judge Minhas dismissed his behaviour as a “bit of a blip” in his recovery process following his last conviction in 2016 for common assault.
She told the court: “Clearly receiving phone calls of this nature is highly inconvenient as well as distressing, if they then have to call the police or take other security precautions.
“You have done some very good work to keep away from the criminal justice system.
“You don’t need to be punished by being sent to custody.”
Mr Buckland, Tory MP for South Swindon who was justice secretary from 2019 to 2021, told The Telegraph: “I am surprised by this outcome.
“We have seen people rightly jailed in the past for this type of criminality and a clear message has to be sent that MPs and their staff must not be threatened and prevented from carrying out their work.”
Andrew Percy, Tory MP for Brigg and Goole, who says he has suffered a rise in anti-Semitic abuse in recent months, added: “This sentence sends the wrong message and will make MPs feel vulnerable.
“If the courts aren’t going to deal with it robustly, even in extreme cases like this, then it makes the job of MP seem far less attractive.”
Defendants in magistrates’ courts can be sentenced to up to six months in prison.
Judge Minhas handed Phillips a 14-month community order and banned him from contacting Mr Freer directly or indirectly for two years.
Phillips was also ordered to complete 25 rehabilitation requirement days and pay the officer he assaulted £200 in compensation.
In May 2022, Judge Minhas presided over the case of Lance O’Connor, who threatened Labour MP Peter Kyle by holding a makeshift gallows with a noose outside Parliament and shouting the Hove MP’s name.
O’Connor was also spared a jail sentence and escaped with a fine.
