Community order for man who called MP Mike Freer's office saying: ‘I’m coming for you’

A man has been given a community order after calling the office of Tory MP Mike Freer and saying: “I’m coming for you.”

Last month James Phillips, of Brampton Park Road, north London, admitted making the call on January 31, the same day Mr Freer announced on his website that he will stand down at the next general election following a series of death threats and an arson attack on his constituency office.

The 46-year-old appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday to be sentenced for an offensive or menacing telephone call and assaulting a police officer.

District Judge Neeta Minhas made a 14-month community order, with 25 rehabilitation activity days, and imposed a restraining order banning Phillips from contacting Mr Freer directly or indirectly for two years.

The office of Finchley and Golders Green MP Mr Freer received three calls on January 31, two of which were “heavy breathing” and the third which involved the defendant saying: “Make sure to tell the police I’m coming for you, you ****, not just Mike Freer but you as well.”

The politician’s personal assistant said Phillips had been calling and emailing with abusive messages for approximately three or four years, the court heard.

But Rita Patel, defending, said her client does not accept that he made communications of a threatening nature previously.

Phillips’ last conviction, prior to the offences for which he was sentenced on Wednesday, was in 2016 for common assault, and the judge described his most recent offending as a “bit of a blip” in his recovery process.

But while she acknowledged the eight-year gap in offending, Judge Minhas said Phillips had “no end of offences of violence and making threats to other people” up to 2016.

Phillips’s phone call to Mr Freer’s office was recorded and workers recognised the number as that of the defendant, the court has heard previously.

After he was arrested and taken into custody, he attempted to punch a police officer who was trying to bring him out of a cell for an interview.

On Wednesday, Ms Patel also referenced Phillips’ childhood trauma and possible mental health issues in mitigation, and told the court that the officer received no injuries.

The defendant will have to pay the officer he tried to punch £200 in compensation.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our podcast to find out What You Need To Know...