Michael James 57

Description

A racist sex offender sent a threatening message to BBC Radio Nottingham presenter Arun Verma, vowing to "stab you 22 times in revenge for the Manchester Arena bombing" while using highly offensive racist language.

The message, seen by station staff and Verma, breached a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) from prior sex offense convictions when Michael James deleted it.

At Nottingham Crown Court, the 57-year-old's barrister, Clarkson Baptiste, said his client "can’t explain" his motivation, has no "particular views towards Mr Verma or the BBC," and wished to apologize. James has been in custody since his November arrest, with health issues including a tracheotomy, spinal tube, and an 18-month prognosis.

Prosecutor Dawn Pritchard detailed the November 20 incident: James, a persistent caller identifying as "Michael from Daybrook," messaged, "Notts get off the radio you dirty wannabee P*** terrorist b*****d. Allah, Allah, it will be when I stab you 22 times in revenge for the Manchester Arena bombing." The station alerted police; Verma read it but made no statement. It was "clearly racially motivated," and James violated his SHPO by deleting it without permission.

James, of Frobisher Gardens, Daybrook, pleaded guilty to breaching the order and sending a communication threatening serious harm. He has an "extensive criminal record."

Jailing him for 40 weeks, Judge Rupert Mayo said:

"Mr James, I accept your apology and I don’t think anybody but you can explain why you did what you did. You sent a highly offensive and racist comment during a broadcast by the BBC which would have come up in the studio and would have been seen by the presenter and those working that evening. We have freedom of speech but that does not mean we can say what we like when we like. At the time you were the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for past offences against people younger than you and one of its requirements was not to delete any messages, which is exactly what you then did."