Man who called Tory MP Mike Freer’s office saying ‘I’m coming for you’ is sentenced
James Phillips pleaded guilty to making a grossly offensive telephone call to the office of the Finchley and Golders Green MP Mike Freer
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A 46-year-old man who called the office of Tory MP Mike Freer and said “I’m coming for you” has been given a community order.
James Phillips hounded the office of the Finchley and Golders Green MP for three or four years before making an offensive phone call in January, Westminister Magistrates’ Court heard on Wednesday.
The telephone call involved the defendant saying: “Make sure to tell the police I’m coming for you, you c***, not just Mike Freer but you as well.”
On the same day, Mr Freer announced he would be standing down at the next general election following a series of death threats and an arson attack on his constituency office.
Phillips, of Brampton Park Road, north London, had earlier pleaded guilty at the same court to making a grossly offensive telephone call to the office, and assaulting a police officer.
The court heard how Phillips’s phone call was recorded and workers in the office recognised the number as that of the defendant - before he was arrested a few days later.
When taken into his cell, the defendant, who has a history of depression and anxiety, attempted to punch a police officer.
In court on Wednesday, Rita Patel, defending, said Phillips does not accept that he made communications of a threatening nature previously.
Ms Patel also referenced Phillips’ childhood trauma and possible mental health issues in mitigation, and told the court that the officer received no injuries.
District Judge Neeta Minhas gave Phillips a 14-month community order, with 25 rehabilitation activity days, and imposed a restraining order banning him from contacting Mr Freer directly or indirectly for two years.
Mr Freer decided to step down at the next election after saying it time to “say enough” as he could no longer put his family through the anxiety for his safety.
“There comes a point when the threats to your personal safety become too much,” he said in an interview with the Daily Mail.
The MP and his staff have since decided to wear stab vests when attending scheduled public events in his constituency.
A separate investigation into an unlinked arson attack at the MP’s office on Christmas Eve is ongoing, with a man and a woman charged with arson with intent to endanger life.