Two jailed over Twitter abuse of campaigner

A man and a woman have been jailed for subjecting a high-profile feminist to online abuse.

Isabella Sorley, 23, used Twitter to tell campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez to “fuck off and die you worthless piece of crap”, “go kill yourself” and “rape is the last of your worries”.

John Nimmo, 25, told Ms Criado-Perez to “shut up bitch” and “Ya not that gd looking to rape u be fine” followed by “I will find you (smiley face)” and then the message “rape her nice ass”, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.

Sentencing Sorley to 12 weeks in prison and Nimmo to eight weeks, Judge Howard Riddle said it was “hard to imagine more extreme threats”.

The pair bombarded Ms Criado-Perez with the abusive messages last year after she led a successful campaign using social media for a female figure to appear on a Bank of England note.

Judge Riddle said the harm threatened against Ms Criado-Perez “must have been intended to be very high”.

He said the effect of the abuse on Ms Criado-Perez had been “life-changing”.

Unemployed Nimmo also targeted abuse at Labour MP Stella Creasy, with the message “The things I cud do to u (smiley face)”, calling her “dumb blond bitch”.