Claudia Webbe: MP guilty of threatening and harassing woman

It’s sad over here the most trod upon race, the one race I feel has the most reason fear violence is the race we took this land from. It’s also the race you less from.

Native women are murdered at 10 times the national rate; 1 out 3 Native women will be raped in her lifetime , and 3 out of 5 physically assaulted. Even worse, 88% of the perpetrators are non-Indian and cannot be prosecuted by tribal governments.

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This definitely true! When the Care2 network ran their supported forums, I co-controlled the SOSA and DV forums together with a member of the Nebraskan Ponca. She had suffered more than once and raised a daughter from the first devastating attack. Some of the history from those forums still haunt me at times and although the DV was grim, SOSA was mind numbing and eventually I had to stand down and hand my controls to another.

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Claudia Webbe was found guilty of harassing Michelle Merritt, a long-term friend of her partner Lester Thomas

Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard she made several calls over two years and threatened the woman with acid.

Webbe was handed a 10-week sentence, suspended for two years.

Blimey … that seems a bit lenient … :astonished:

I agree! No sentence should be suspended, ever.

Quelle Surprise…

It’s a bloody scandal and a disgrace that the punishment didn’t fit the crime. If thee, or me, threatened to chuck acid over a love rival or threatened to send compromising photos of someone, we would be spending time at Her Majesty’s Pleasure.

Once again, an MP gets away Scot-free. :rage:

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What happens when an MP receives a criminal conviction?
>
If an MP receives a sentence of 12 months or under, even if it is suspended, they can expect to face a recall petition if their appeal fails. If they receive a sentence of over 12 months, they automatically lose their seat.

Webbe, now an independent MP, was handed a 10-week jail term – suspended for two years – and 200 hours’ community service at Westminster magistrates court. This means there will be an automatic recall petition in Leicester East if her appeal fails.

If 10% of the electorate within the constituency sign the recall petition, a byelection is called.

If there is a byelection, could Webbe stand again?

She could, but not as a Labour candidate. She was expelled from the party upon sentence, a Labour spokesperson confirmed. It is understood the expulsion process began when she was convicted.

Given her conviction, will Webbe be able to vote in parliament while she appeals her sentence and will she still receive her salary?

She will.

How long could it take for her appeal to be heard?

Given the current backlog of court cases, it could be many weeks.

Have there been similar cases of an MP receiving a serious criminal conviction and continuing to vote in parliament while they appeal?

Yes. Fiona Onasanya, the former Labour MP for Peterborough, was convicted for perverting the course of justice in December 2018 and became the first sitting MP in 28 years to be jailed after being sentenced to three months imprisonment.

Onasanya served a month of her sentence and was allowed to vote in parliament while tagged. Her final appeal was refused in March 2019, triggering the recall process and a byelection in June 2019 – won by Lisa Forbes for Labour.

Hi

Thanks for that explanation Omah.

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:+1:

Onasanya’s case was the first time I looked it up - I was aghast when she refused to give up her seat … :exclamation:

Not much bothers me as a rule, But this woman, her threats, a guilty verdict with a very soft sentence has really got to me

And still she and others of prominent positions say she is the Victim

Got to stop myself from printing what I am thinking.

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Even her barrister in her defence tried to deflect the charges against her and played the Race Card, by stating that as a black woman, she has been subject to abuse. All credit to the judge, who stated that Webbe was not the victim here and dismissed the barrister’s line of defence.

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Whatever happened to just giving someone the finger? Throwing acid? Yeah that’s going to make all your dreams come true. Psycho.

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The appeal is listed for 9 March 2022 and could last up to three days.

Judge Deborah Taylor, addressing Webbe’s lawyer Raj Chada, said: “No doubt the appellant has been told sentences can go up as well as down.” (1)

Mr Chada - who confirmed his client would be appealing both the conviction and sentence - replied: “She [Webbe] has been advised.”

The court heard Ms Merritt would likely be called to give evidence from behind a screen. (2)

(1) She’ll get a shock if it goes up … :081:

(2) Why?

Another telflon plated MP
Does anyone else think this is wrong
The woman had threatened someone with serious bodily harm

Constituents will be able to launch a recall petition demanding Webbe’s removal from Parliament, but not until her appeal is heard. Webbe has appealed against the conviction. The appeal, originally due to be heard on 9 March, was delayed by the judge and is now to be heard on 17 May 2022.

An MP’s appeal against her harassment conviction and sentence has heard how she was driven by “obsession” and “jealousy”.

Claudia Webbe, former Labour MP for Leicester East, was given a suspended sentence in November for harassing Michelle Merritt.

Southwark Crown Court heard the reason for the harassment was Ms Merritt’s friendship with Webbe’s boyfriend Lester Thomas.

The appeal will continue next week.

A woman who was harassed by MP Claudia Webbe has denied misleading a court about the extent of her relationship with the politician’s then partner.

The court heard Ms Merritt’s phone had been examined by police since the trial, revealing sexual messages between her and Lester Thomas.

Ms Merritt said: “I had not lied about having sex with Mr Thomas. No-one asked me in the magistrates’ court. The basis of this whole thing is not based on my sex with Mr Thomas, it is based on being threatened and being harassed by Ms Webbe.”

Webbe told the hearing she split up with Mr Thomas in March this year after learning of the messages he had shared with Ms Merritt.

“I had no idea about the relationship between Michelle Merritt and Lester Thomas, that this relationship had been going on throughout the entire time of my relationship with Lester,” she said. “Therefore I was shocked and could not deal with that.”

Labour, which confirmed Webbe had been expelled from the party, has said it will push for a recall petition to force a by-election if she does not quit the Commons.

The appeal continues.

If you don’t ask the right questions then you don’t get the right answers … :man_shrugging:

Well, she was clearly provoked by this woman bonking her husband, but it’s no excuse really, is it?

She’s an adult, an MP and you can’t go round threatening people with acid and showing naked pictures of them

But what I never get with women, is why do they always blame and attack the other woman, and not their old man?

The other woman didn’t make him give out anything he wasn’t keen to give

And the other woman doesn’t owe you any loyalty, your husband does

So if I was going to be threatening anyone with acid, ( or more likely, a bull castrator), or shaming someone with dirty pics, it would be my unfaithful husband, not the poor cow who got landed with him! :rofl::rofl:

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The 57-year-old was again found guilty by Judge Deborah Taylor and two magistrates at Southwark Crown Court.

Constituents will be able to launch a recall petition demanding Webbe’s removal from Parliament.

But will they?

Can they chuck her in clink for a few weeks also?

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