‘It’s your turn to die’ – MP left in fear after campaign of harassment and abuse

Sleaford’s MP says she was left in fear after a campaign of harassment and abuse by one of her constituents.

Dr Caroline Johnson was sent threatening emails and YouTube videos saying ‘it’s your turn to die doctor’ and ‘exterminate the doctor’ by tormentor Justin Blair.

The 50-year-old of North Drive in Ancaster was found guilty of harassing the politician over a 12-day period last September and was handed a restraining order on Friday, January 10.

“I had advertised a Q&A session I was doing before Christmas. He had written ‘I will be there. I have an appointment with the doctor’. I’m a doctor so that makes perfect sense,” Dr Johnson said.

“There was a video attached to it which was a YouTube video of Doctor Who being shot at by spaceships.

“The voiceover was saying ‘It’s your turn to die doctor’ and ‘exterminate the doctor’. It was quite sinister.”

Dr Johnson called in the police who not only sent guards to protect her at upcoming meetings, but spoke with Blair and told him to stop.

But the abuse continued.

“The normal response would have been ‘I’m sorry’, but he got really cross and sent letters and emails and sent the video again. It wasn’t nice,” Dr Johnson added.

Blair was given a restraining order by magistrates at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court earlier this month forbidding him from contacting Dr Johnson directly, indirectly or via third party.

He was also fined £1,100, and ordered to pay £110 victim surcharge and to pay £620 in costs.

But despite his conviction, Blair can still contact Dr Johnson, his MP, by Royal Mail at her office in the House of Parliament.

Dr Johnson said: “He has sent me a letter at the House of Commons, not saying anything mean or spiteful, but he made the point that he still could contact me.”

She said abuse over the last three years as MPs have fought over Brexit has only increased and is calling for rules surrounding harassment to change.

In a Point of Order in the House of Commons on Thursday, January 16, Dr Johnson asked speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle if anything could be done to stop harassers contacting their representatives.

“Given that there is no legal requirement for Members to respond to constituents’ correspondence, other than our own public service and common decency, I am not sure why the court felt that it was unable completely to restrict this man’s ability to correspond with me,” she said.

“Given that the number of people convicted in this way is thankfully very small, I wonder whether you could consider making available an alternative point of contact in the House for those convicted of harassing their MP.”

Sir Lindsay Hoyle said members should not have to put up with intimidation and bullying and he would look at the legal implications before responding.