MP Abused By Man On Trial For Alleged Anti-Semitic Abuse

Labour MP Luciana Berger was subject to serious antisemitic abuse.Reuters

A proponent of antisemitic propaganda branded an MP a "rodent" and an "evil money-grabber" on his blog, a court has heard. 

Joshua Bonehill-Paine, from Yeovil in Somerset, harrased Luciana Berger, the Labour Cooperative MP for Liverpool Wavertree, online for four months.

Bonehill-Paine, aged 23, welcomed being charged with racially aggravated harrasment because of the attendant publicity.

He has a previous conviction for describing people as paedophiles on Twitter.

Between Ocober 2014 and January 2-15, he posted five abusive articles attacking Berger, a court at Old Bailey in London heard.

On being charged, he said: "I am really pleased. This gives me an opportunity to be found not guilty, hopefully at a full Crown Court trial, with the media that will bring."

Bonehill-Paine blamed Berger for the jailing of Garron Helm, sentenced to four weeks after pleading guilty to sending a malicious communication by tweeting a picture of Berger with a Star of David on her forehead accompanied and the words "#Hitler was right".

Philip Stott, prosecuting, said: "The common ideology which so stirred Mr Bonehill-Paine is one of fierce antisemitism.

"Throughout the articles … Ms Berger is referred to by Mr Bonehill-Paine as, for example, a rodent, as evil, a money-grabber, a dominatrix and responsible for the death of Jesus.

"Repulsive as they may be to you and me, I understand that Mr Bonehill-Paine is not likely to dispute that he made these remarks."

The case continues. Bonehill-Paine is expected to argue his posts were reasonable in the circumstances and fell within bounds of free speech and freedom of political expression.