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Man who threatened MP Louise Mensch is sentenced | |
(about 4 hours later) | |
An internet troll who sent a threatening email to MP Louise Mensch has been been given a six month suspended jail sentence. | |
Frank Zimmerman, 60, from Barnwood, Gloucester, was also told not to contact Mrs Mensch or her husband. | |
In 2011, Zimmerman emailed the MP for Corby telling her to stop using Twitter or face the consequences. | |
He was found guilty in April but failed to attend sentencing on Friday. He was arrested on Monday and taken to court. | |
Zimmerman was convicted of sending by public communication network an offensive, indecent, obscene, menacing message or matter. | |
He also failed to attend on that occasion, blaming agoraphobia and depression. | He also failed to attend on that occasion, blaming agoraphobia and depression. |
'Terrified' for children | |
At Cheltenham Magistrates' Court, Zimmerman was also given a restraining order which prevents him contacting General Sir Mike Jackson and Lord Sugar. | |
Zimmerman's jail sentence was suspended for two years. | |
At a previous hearing, the court was told he emailed Mrs Mensch after she suggested social networking sites could be closed by police during last summer's riots. | |
In the email he said the mother-of-three faced "Sophie's choice" - a reference to a novel in which heroine Sophie has to choose between the life of her son or daughter at a Nazi concentration camp. | |
Mrs Mensch called the police and arranged security for her family. | Mrs Mensch called the police and arranged security for her family. |
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Mrs Mensch said: "I was terrified on behalf of my children." | |
The email was traced to the IP address of Zimmerman's home computer who blamed hackers for sending it. | The email was traced to the IP address of Zimmerman's home computer who blamed hackers for sending it. |