21-Year-Old Admits Sending Threatening Emails While ‘Probably Drunk’
A 21-year-old man from Birkenhead has been given a suspended prison sentence after admitting to sending racist death threats to former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak via email last year.
Liam Shaw was sentenced to 14 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, after pleading guilty to two counts of sending offensive messages through a public communication network. The sentence was handed down at court on Wednesday following his arrest in September 2024.
The Threatening Messages
Shaw sent two threatening and racially offensive emails to Sunak’s public email address on June 15, 2024, while the former Conservative leader was still serving as Prime Minister. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) described the language used as “racist, offensive and suggested Mr Sunak should be killed by the public.”
The messages were discovered by Sunak’s personal assistant, who immediately reported them to police. Investigators traced the emails back to Shaw’s phone and email address, leading them to a hostel in Birkenhead, Merseyside, where he was staying at the time.
Defendant Claims No Memory of Incident
When confronted with the allegations during police questioning, Shaw appeared to struggle with recollection of the events. “I don’t even remember sending an email. I was probably drunk,” he told officers during his arrest on September 3, 2024.
Court Imposes Additional Restrictions
Beyond the suspended prison sentence, Shaw must complete several requirements as part of his punishment:
- 20 days of rehabilitation activity
- A six-month drug rehabilitation course
- Compliance with a two-year restraining order prohibiting any contact with Sunak or his constituency office
District Judge Timothy Boswell emphasized the serious nature of the offense during sentencing, stating: “Direct access to your constituency MP is a cornerstone of democracy. Misusing that access is detrimental to the democratic process. Clearly it is a highly aggravating factor for the offence.”
CPS Highlights Democratic Importance
Senior Crown Prosecutor Matthew Dixon of CPS Mersey Cheshire stressed the broader implications of such threats against public officials.
“Liam Shaw took to his phone that night to send racist and threatening messages to a person in an extremely important public office,” Dixon said. “The work of Members of Parliament is extremely important and the police and the Crown Prosecution Service play their part in keeping them safe and able to do their work without fear.”
Balancing Free Speech with Public Safety
The prosecution acknowledged the importance of protecting freedom of expression while drawing clear boundaries around acceptable behavior.
“The Crown Prosecution Service has always and will continue to safeguard a person’s right to freedom of expression,” Dixon explained. “But this is clearly a case where the comments made were utterly beyond the boundary of what is tolerable in a fair, just and multi-racial society, and passed into the realm of criminality.”
He concluded with a firm stance against discriminatory abuse: “Racist abuse has no place, anywhere, in this day and age.”
The case highlights ongoing concerns about the safety of public officials and the need to protect democratic processes from intimidation and threats.
