Birmingham inmate Rakeem Malik jailed for death threat letters

A prisoner who sent deaths threats to Boris Johnson and threatened to eat Theresa May has been jailed for five years.

Rakeem Malik, 52, also threatened to bomb Labour Party MP Rosie Cooper and rape her colleague Jess Phillips.

Birmingham Crown Court heard he wrote to Mr Johnson from his jail cell after being charged with sending "repugnant" notes to his female targets.

Judge Samantha Crabb said Malik was a "dangerous offender".

Sentencing, the judge said the HMP Birmingham inmate - already serving a life sentence - had "carefully selected" his victims.

His letters, which involved "significant planning", were sent "at particular times chosen to maximise impact", she said.

He had shown a "blatant intention to cause maximum harm" and was undeterred by the prospect of being detected, the judge said.

Malik, a double leg amputee, had previously admitted four counts of making threats to kill and four of malicious communication.

The judge imposed an an extended period of licence.

He threatened Ms Cooper in May 2019 and Ms Phillips in November 2019 and sent a letter to her with intent to cause distress a month later.

Two letters were sent by Malik with intent to cause distress or anxiety to Mrs May in September 2018, and another to Boris Johnson on the same day as the final letter sent to Ms Phillips.

In one of two letters to the then prime minister, Malik wrote: "Jihadis of Britain are going to kill the police at the gates. Then I'm going to kill you and then eat your corpse."

Both letters were intercepted by vetting officials at the Cabinet Office.

The court heard an envelope franked in Birmingham and opened at Ms Cooper's office last May stated: "You will die the same way as [MP] Jo Cox."

Both Ms Cooper and Ms Phillips joined the sentencing hearing over Skype.

Ms Cooper told police she was "angered and disconcerted" by the threats.

In a victim impact statement, Ms Phillips said such threats were "an assault on the democratic duty of MPs".

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