Racist who trolled MP jailed for two years

An internet troll has been jailed after making anti-Semitic death threats to a Labour MP, telling her she would "get it like Jo Cox".

John Nimmo, 28, from South Shields, sent two emails to Luciana Berger, which included a picture of a large knife and telling her to "watch your back Jewish scum".

The messages to the MP for Liverpool Wavertree came just three weeks after fellow MP Jo Cox was killed.

The former shadow minister for mental health said the messages had caused her "great fear and anguish".

She said the incident had left her in a state of

In a separate incident he sent offensive emails to an anti-hate crime organisation including threats to burn down a mosque.

Prosecutor Mark Giuliani told Newcastle Crown Court the messages to Faith Matters, which offer an online hate crime reporting system, included pictures of dead bodies and the words death to Muslims.

Nimmo, who appeared by video link from prison, was also sentenced for three charges relating to anti-Semitic tweets and accusing a woman of being a paedophile.

This is the second time Nimmo has been jailed, after he was imprisoned in 2014 for eight weeks after sending abusive messages on Twitter to feminist campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez and MP Stella Creasy.

It came after Ms Criado-Perez led a campaign using social media for a female figure to appear on a Bank of England note.

Jailing him for two years and three months for the nine offences, Judge Robert Adams said he "caused terror, fear and paranoia".

He said the crimes were cowardly attacks

Vic Laffey, defending, said the offences had caused "enormous distress" to the victims and said Nimmo lived an isolated life and suffered from Aspergerss Syndrome.