Internet ‘troll’ spared jail after threatening MP

An internet “troll” who sent a threatening email to a Conservative MP was banned from contacting a host of celebrities from Alan Sugar to CIA chief David Petraeus.

Frank Zimmerman just escaped jail when a district judge suspended a 26- week prison sentence for two years after he sent an offensive email to MP Louise Mensch.

The 60-year-old, who was taken to court by police after being arrested for failing to attend his sentencing last week, was given the suspended sentence, ordered to pay costs and made subject of a restraining order.

The order bans the agoraphobic from contacting a string of well-known people. The list includes Mensch, her businessman husband Peter, and her ex-husband, property developer Anthony Lo-Cicero.

Sugar, the Amstrad businessman and star of hit television programme The Apprentice, was named on the restraining order, as was Terence Blacker, a columnist with the Independent newspaper and Zimmerman’s former neighbour in London.

Also listed was Mike Jackson — once head of the British Army — and David Petraeus, former US army commander in Iraq and Afghanistan and now director of the CIA.

A previous hearing heard how Zimmerman had last year targeted the out-spoken Mensch, telling her to stop using Twitter, or face the consequences.

The defendant told Mensch she faced a “Sophie’s Choice” — a reference to a novel in which heroine Sophie has to choose between the life of her son or daughter at a Nazi concentration camp.

The email, which was dated Aug 22, 2011, said: “Subject: You have been HACKED :D

“Louise Mensch, nee Bagshawe, the slut of Twitter.

“We are Anonymous and we don’t like rude c**** like you and your nouveau riche husband Peter Mensch. You have been hacked!

“We are inside your computer and all your phones, everywhere ... and inside your homes. So get off Twitter.”

The Northamptonshire MP, 40, who has a Twitter following of 50,000, at once called in police.

The email was later traced to the IP address of Zimmerman’s computer.

He was charged with sending by public communication network an offensive, indecent, obscene, menacing message or matter.

The case against Zimmerman had been proven in his absence after he failed to attend court — blaming his agoraphobia and depression. He blamed hackers for the email.