Claudia Webbe (56), MP from Labour Party for Leicester East has been handed a 10-week jail sentence and 200 hours of community service at Westminster Magistrates’ Court for harassing a female friend of her boyfriend. Webbe, a diligent supporter of the violent farmers’ protests in India, has been accused of harassing Michelle Merritt (59), a long-term friend of her boyfriend, Lester Thomas. Reportedly, Webbe threatened Merritt with an acid attack and leaked naked images of Merritt in a string of calls since 2018.
The 56-year-old politician had made 16 threatening calls to Merritt between September 2018 and April 2020 purely out of jealousy, the court heard.
Labour’s national campaign coordinator Shabana Mahmood confirmed that Webbe had been expelled from the party. The party had called for her to resign as an MP. Webbe had been sitting in the Commons as an Independent MP after being suspended by the party over the case.
Merritt said she is ‘very scared’
The victim, who never met Webbe in person alleged that she has become a ‘hermit’ due to the incessant harassment by the MP. Addressing the court, Merritt said that she has been left “very scared”, struggling to work and even socialize.
Webbe on one occasion made an angry call to Merritt, used a derogatory term and added, “You should be acid.” She also often yelled at the victim asking her to “get out of the relationship”.
“No woman should be threatened and harassed as Ms Webbe has done to me over the years, let alone by a politician,” said Merritt.
‘Showed little remorse’
Sentencing Webbe on Thursday, Paul Goldspring, the chief magistrate, described Webbe’s behaviour as “callous.” He said Webbe “showed little remorse or contrition” and suggested the politician would have been jailed immediately were it not for her previous good character.
“Very disappointed by the decision”
Webbe, after the judgment, said that she was “very disappointed by the decision of the magistrate” and claimed innocence.
“I am lodging an appeal and despite today’s sentence I fully expect the appeal to be granted and that, ultimately, it will be successful. Throughout this process I have received numerous threats to my life and vile racist abuse,” she said in a statement.
“The cowards responsible for these attacks will not deter me from clearing my name,” Webbe added further.
Webbe had supported violent farmers’ protest in India
Webbe, an MP for Leicester East, a significant British Indian constituency, in February had endorsed an e-petition calling for a UK government’s statement over the farmers’ protests in India.
The MP was extremely vocal about the violent ‘peaceful protests’ in India. “Huge congratulations to all who supported this petition in defence of Farmers Protest. The right to peaceful protest is a fundamental human right. Farmers must be protected,” Webbe had tweeted.
Huge congratulations to all who supported this petition in defence of Farmers Protest
— Claudia Webbe MP (@ClaudiaWebbe) February 3, 2021
The right to peaceful protest is a fundamental human right
Farmers must be protected #FarmersProtests https://t.co/RWfaNy9ke2
“Boom We’re taking this to parliament. The petition has reached 100,000 & qualifies for a debate in Parliament,” she had said in another tweet.
It is imperative to note that the so-called peaceful protests on January 26 this year had left 300 security personnel injured and properties worth crores damaged.
Not just this, the British MP had also thanked global celebrities like Rihanna for Tweeting (paid) in support of the farmers in India.
She had also demanded the release of alleged “activists”, who had conspired against India, in the “toolkit” case.
In an article on her website titled ‘The international community must show solidarity with Indian farmers,’ Webbe had propagated misinformation.
“Video footage demonstrates that police and violent mobs are assaulting peaceful protesters, destroying their living areas,” claimed Webbe in her writeup.
The British politician went further to claim that the “protestors were being killed, injured and unjustly imprisoned.”
