MP Joanna Cherry says SNP failed over Twitter threats

SNP MP Joanna Cherry has said she is "very disappointed" that her party failed to speak out after she received "obscene" messages on Twitter.

Grant Karte, 30, was given a 160-hour community payback order and ordered not to contact Ms Cherry for five years.

She received his threats on the day she was dropped from her party's frontbench team at Westminster in a reshuffle.

Ms Cherry claimed it happened after senior SNP politicians and staff wrongly accused her of transphobia.

She said: "These irresponsible accusations put a target on my back and given the toxicity of the current debate about gender identity, it was wholly foreseeable that further abuse and threats might be elicited."

The Edinburgh South West MP said SNP supporter Karte sent her a series of "menacing and obscene private messages" including threats of sexual violence.

She said the party did not offer her the same support as other women who suffered abuse.

However, the SNP said Ms Cherry was offered support from "senior levels" of the party.

Karte, from Bannockburn, admitted sending "grossly offensive" Twitter messages after drinking a bottle of whisky on 1 February.

Sentencing him at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, Sheriff Alistair Noble said: "Your threat carried implications of violence and one interpretation of what was said was sexual violence."

He imposed 160 hours of unpaid community work, a five-year non-harassment order and placed Karte under supervision for 15 months.

Defence agent Simon Collins said a psychiatric report on Karte showed his "regret and remorse regarding the incident".

Ms Cherry, formerly the SNP's justice and home affairs spokeswoman, said Karte was among a group of men who had repeatedly abused and harassed her and other female SNP members on social media.

She said that if steps had been taken to address this behaviour "it would not have escalated to the level of criminality".

She added: "I am very disappointed that no-one in the SNP hierarchy has acknowledged or condemned Grant Karte's threats towards me, despite his criminal conviction."

Following Ms Cherry's statement, the SNP said the ruling was "a welcome conviction for totally unacceptable behaviour".

A party spokesperson added: "We fully recognise the personal impact that comes from such abusive behaviour, and support services are available to all elected representatives and staff.

"Joanna was offered support from senior levels of the SNP at the time and that offer remains open. We hope that the conclusion of this case will bring her some relief."