News
Man, 36, sentenced for sending ‘abusive’ email to deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner
The court heard Benjamin Iliffe warned Rayner to "watch your back and your kids" in the email.
A man has been given a suspended prison sentence after admitting to sending a threatening email to deputy Angela Rayner.
36-year-old Benjamin Iliffe, from Cambridgeshire, was one of three men arrested on suspicion of malicious communications towards the deputy leader of the Labour party and was sentenced by police on Thursday to 15 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months, after pleading guilty.
Iliffe was also made the subject of a two-year restraining order not to contact Rayner directly or indirectly, not to talk about her on social media, and not to go to her office in Ashton-under-Lyne in Greater Manchester.
The court heard Iliffe warned Rayner to “watch your back and your kids” in the email.
According to The Guardian, Mr Iliffe said in his email sent on 16 October: “Promise you c**t. There’s so many people in this country now, after your poster boy murdered an Englishman who are coming after you now c**t.
“You were easy to find btw. I already found your personal home address.”
Iliffe was also ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and 35 days of a rehabilitation activity.
He was made to pay £85 costs and a £128 victim surcharge.
The sentencing of Iliffe comes after a 70-year-old was also arrested on suspicion of malicious communication over emails received on 16 October remains in custody for questioning, and also the day after police arrested a 52-year-old man from Halifax over alleged threats against Rayner.
His arrest related to abusive phone calls received on 15 October, and he has since been released on bail pending further inquiries.
Separately, police said there was an ongoing investigation into multiple reports of threatening and abusive phone calls, emails, and letters towards a woman in Ashton-under-Lyne, and Rayner’s spokesperson confirmed the arrests related to abuse against her.
Rayner is understood to have cancelled her constituency surgeries in recent weeks amid concerns for her safety linked to a wider increase of abuse and threats – including death threats – against her.
She has not spoken in person about the threats made against her, but has addressed the situation on Twitter.
“I want to thank the officers at GMP Tameside and GMP for their work in this investigation and for supporting me, my family and my staff during this time, which has been particularly difficult for my children,” she said in a tweet on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, her spokesperson said abuse and threats had increased in recent weeks. “Angela and her staff have received a number of threatening, malicious and abusive communications in recent weeks,” they said.
“We are working with the police to ensure that the perpetrators of these crimes are brought to justice and Angela would like to thank the police for their work during these investigations.”
The spokesperson added: “Abuse and threats of this nature don’t just have an impact on Angela but also on her family, her children and her staff, who are on the receiving end of these communications.
“Angela is currently on bereavement leave after losing a close loved one and she looks forward to being back at work as soon as possible.”
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
News
Bury primary school teaching assistant jailed after pleading guilty to child sex offences
Emily Sergeant
A teaching assistant from Bury has been sentenced after pleading guilty to multiple sex offences against a ‘vulnerable’ young boy.
Terri Cook, of Masefield Avenue in Radcliffe, appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court last week, where she was sentenced after pleading guilty to eight charges of sexual offences.
The sentencing came after officers from Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Child Protection Investigation Unit (CPIU) began in ‘intense’ investigation into Cook back in September of last year after a member of the public reported seeing her out with a young boy.
The subsequent investigation showed that she had been grooming and manipulating the young boy into engaging in a sexual relationship with her.
Police found numerous messages on Cook’s phone where she had been inciting sexual communications with the boy and holding indecent images of him, and she was also found to have been buying him expensive items, like jewellery and clothing, for a period of more than nine months.
During a powerful statement read out in court, the young boy was described as being ‘extremely kind and caring’, with his mum adding: “Despite experiencing traumatic events earlier in his life, he continued to be positive and compassionate. He smiled every day and made us all laugh.”
Cook was sentenced four-and-a-half years in prison for eight charges of sexual offences.
Speaking following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Adam Stanfield, from GMP’s Bury CPIU, said: “This case was a horrific example of calculated abuse of power, and Cook targeted a vulnerable child who put his trust in her.
“Grooming is a form of manipulation that can leave lasting emotional and psychological damage, and our priority remains protecting young people and supporting victims as they recover.
Read more:
“This sentencing also emphasises our unwavering commitment to protecting male victims. They can be victims too and I urge anyone who believes they may have been through anything similar to please report to us.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
The richest people in the North West have been revealed, featuring Harry Styles, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and Gallaghers
Daisy Jackson
The Sunday Times Rich List has been published today, revealing the wealthiest person in the North West to be Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The annual list highlights the richest people in the UK, often filled with famous faces and business moguls.
This year, the 350 individuals on the list hold a combined wealth of £783.5 billion – that’s about a quarter of the UK’s total annual GDP.
The Sunday Times Rich List also highlighted other North West figures, such as Harry Styles, the Issa brothers, and Tyson Fury.
Other famous faces from elsewhere in the UK include Sir Elton John, Lord Lloyd-Webber, Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, JK Rowling, Charlotte Tilbury and Sir Lewis Hamilton.
It found that Sir Jim Ratcliffe – chemicals magnate, Ineos CEO, and Manchester United shareholder – still tops the list regionally despite falling revenues and a £515.7 million loss.
Mohsin and Zuber Issa are fourth on the list of the wealthiest in the North West – the Blackburn billionaire brothers founded the EG Group petrol stations, and acquired the supermarket giant Asda.
Betfred brothers Fred and Peter Done come next, with an estimated net wealth of £3.6bn.
Property developer and Renaker founder (Renaker is behind the Deansgate Square towers) Daren Whitaker saw his wealth grow by £100m in a single year.
Elsewhere on the list are Liam and Noel Gallagher, making their Sunday Times Rich List debut at £375 million.
Michael and George Heaton, the British brothers behind the Represent streetwear brand, paid themselves minimum wage for a decade before selling a stake and making £18.5m each.
Robert Watts, compiler of the Sunday Times Rich List, said: “This year’s Rich List is a tale of two exoduses. One in six of the individuals and families who appeared on the list two years ago don’t feature this time.
“Many foreign billionaires who have been living in the UK have also dropped out because they have moved away. We have also seen a sharp rise in the number of British nationals now resident in Dubai, Switzerland and Monaco. As UK nationals these people remain on our Rich List — wherever they now live.
“These two exoduses pose challenges for the UK economy and its public finances. Will more of the wealthy now set up or grow their ventures overseas and in doing so create fewer jobs here? How much tax — if any — will Rachel Reeves’s Treasury be able to extract from those affluent Brits who have now left the country?
“For nearly 40 years the Sunday Times Rich List has analysed the fortunes of Britain’s most affluent people. We believe understanding where wealth lies and where it is being accumulated is a vital part of a functioning democracy.
“Over the years our research has told us a lot about our country, charting the way a generation of largely self-made entrepreneurs overtook the old money of the landed gentry.
“This year’s edition shines a light on fortunes made from artificial intelligence, driverless cars and crypto-currencies as well as baby milk, make-up, hoodies and other everyday items. We know many of our readers find those rags-to-riches stories of entrepreneurs who started out with little more than a laptop and an idea particularly inspiring.”
Read more
Featured image: Netflix
The Manc -
29th October 2021 
