Man Jailed Over Racist Death Threats To Former UK PM Rishi Sunak

Last Updated:August 19, 2025, 21:40 IST

Liam Shaw, 21, was sentenced to 14 weeks in prison and given a two-year restraining order for sending racist death threats to former UK PM Rishi Sunak while he was in office.

A 21-year-old from Birkenhead pleaded guilty to sending racist and threatening emails to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and has been sentenced to 14 weeks in prison with a two-year restraining order. (IMAGE: REUTERS)

A 21-year-old man has been sentenced to 14 weeks in prison and slapped with a two-year restraining order for sending racist death threats to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in June last year, when he was still in office, news agency PTI said in a report.

Liam Shaw, from Birkenhead in Merseyside, pleaded guilty to sending two threatening and offensive emails to Sunak’s public parliamentary email address, the UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said. The emails were flagged by Sunak’s personal assistant and reported to the police.

Authorities traced the messages, sent via a mobile phone, to Shaw’s email account and to a hostel in Birkenhead where he was staying. He was arrested on September 3, 2024. When confronted with the allegations, Shaw said, “I don’t even remember sending an email. I was probably drunk."

He was taken to a Liverpool police station and interviewed but remained silent, according to the CPS. He was charged with two counts of sending, via a public communication network, an offensive, indecent, obscene, or menacing message.

“Liam Shaw took to his phone that night to send racist and threatening messages to a person in an extremely important public office," said Matthew Dixon, Senior Crown Prosecutor at CPS Mersey Cheshire. “Racist abuse has no place, anywhere, in this day and age."

Shaw appeared last month at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty to both charges. He was sentenced last Wednesday to 14 weeks in prison for both counts, to run concurrently, with the sentence suspended for 12 months under strict conditions. He must also complete 20 days of rehabilitation activity and a six-month drug rehabilitation programme.

“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," District Judge Timothy Boswell said during sentencing.

The court also imposed a two-year restraining order, barring Shaw from contacting Sunak or his constituency office.

“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. The Crown Prosecution Service has always, and will continue to, safeguard a person’s right to freedom of expression," Dixon added. “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."

Shankhyaneel Sarkar

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev...Read More

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev...

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London, United Kingdom (UK)

First Published:

August 19, 2025, 21:40 IST

News world Man Jailed Over Racist Death Threats To Former UK PM Rishi Sunak

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