He ‘crossed the line’ with his behaviour, a court heard
Ashfak Ahmed, pictured outside Hull Crown Court(Image: Hull Live)
An aggressive troublemaker has narrowly avoided being jailed after sending “threatening and abusive” messages to a Hull MP – leading to the police being alerted. He was later banned from contacting her – except for legitimate constituency matters – but he ignored a suspended prison sentence by later threatening to kill his own son, Hull Crown Court heard.
Ashfak Ahmed, 54, of Saltash Road, west Hull, admitted breaching a 12-week suspended prison sentence imposed on November 7 for sending grossly offensive and malicious communications to Emma Hardy on April 12 last year. He also admitted a new offence of making threats to kill his son between January 12 and 14.
James O’Connor, prosecuting, said that Ahmed sent “threatening and abusive” messages to Ms Hardy, the Labour MP for Hull West and Haltemprice. “They were reported to the police,” said Mr O’Connor.
Ahmed had been given a 12-week suspended prison sentence for the offence, with 20 days’ rehabilitation, by the district judge at Hull Magistrates’ Court. He was also given an indefinite restraining order banning him from contacting the MP directly or indirectly, by any means.
This was except for emails via the constituency office email address for the sole purpose of raising a reasonable request as a constituent.
He was also banned from going to or entering Emma Hardy’s constituency office at the Octagon Centre in Walker Street, west Hull, unless by prior appointment, with written confirmation.
Ms Hardy, 46, was appointed the Minister for Water and Flooding at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in July 2024 after Labour’s win in the General Election. She has been an MP since June 2017.
Ahmed breached the suspended sentence by telephoning his estranged son to make threats to kill him and his mother. He warned: “It will be a surprise. You won’t know when I come by.”
The son and his mother believed that the threats would be carried out. “The threats are of some significant violence,” said Mr O’Connor.
Harry Bradford, mitigating, said that Ahmed claimed that he contacted his son for positive reasons because he wanted to support him in any future marriage. Matters “escalated” and Ahmed “crossed the line” with his behaviour.
“He has accepted his behaviour by way of his guilty plea,” said Mr Bradford. “He is sorry for his actions and he is attempting to work with the probation service to address his offending behaviour to ensure he doesn’t become a regular offender at these courts.”
Judge Alexander Menary told Ahmed: “There were threats of significant harm. You were subject to a suspended sentence at the time.”
Ahmed was given a 16-month suspended prison sentence and 10 days’ rehabilitation.
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