Man Slammed For 'Causing Fear' To MP's Staff

A judge has hit out at a man whose aggressive behaviour frightened staff in an MP's constituency office, three months before the murder of Jo Cox.

Jaseem Saeed, 39, became aggressive while asking for help with a passport application in the office of Dewsbury's Labour MP Paula Sherriff.

Ms Sherriff's base is four miles from the constituency office in Birstall, West Yorkshire, where Jo Cox MP was shot and stabbed in June.

Saeed, who has admitted a charge of affray, has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced on 26 September at Leeds Crown Court.

The judge, Mr Justice Goss, told Saeed that his visit to Ms Sherriff's office was "an ugly episode that caused fear".

He added: "Here, unfortunately, we know that three months after he was behaving in this way a member of parliament lost her life.

"People occupying such roles are entitled to be protected in so far as the law can protect them."

During a two-day trial, case worker Julie Ward described how Saeed was aggressive and shouting as he asked about getting a passport so he could travel to Iraq.

Mrs Ward told the court that Saeed threatened to shoot her, although she did not see a gun.

Saeed talked about getting a rifle and shooting students at a local college, she claimed.

The trial heard that Saeed told police that the case worker and another member of staff misunderstood what he said due to his poor English.

Saeed was cleared of two counts of making threats to kill.

Mr Justice Goss said it appeared that Saeed, of Nelson Street, Dewsbury, does not suffer from any psychiatric conditions but does have "anger management issues".

He said these "issues" may best be addressed through a community punishment and noted that Saeed will have served the equivalent of a 13-month prison sentence while on remand before he is sentenced.