A racist thug who said he wanted to ‘wrap a baseball bat’ around former Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s head grovelled ‘I was a complete idiot’ as he was spared jail.
Mark Davies wrote ‘I want to wrap a stick or baseball bat around your P**i head’, along with a laughing crying emoji, in a Tweet which included Suella Braverman and three other social media users at 8.23am on May 21 2023.
The 52-year-old, of Norfolk Square, in Brighton, made the vile comment in a reply to a post originally made by Ms Braverman, formerly the MP for Fareham in Hampshire. On Wednesday (June 12), Westminster Magistrates Court heard Davies has a history of violence, with a battery conviction in 2005 and a racially aggravated public order offence in August 2017.
After the Tweet was flagged by a parliamentary assistant, the former bricklayer was arrested and made no comment. He pleaded guilty to sending an electronic communication that was grossly offensive, obscene, or of menacing character at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on May 15. At that hearing, Judge Michael Snow said such behaviour towards politicians ‘undermines our democratic process’.
READ MORE: Man who called Bukayo Saka racist slur after World Cup loss cleared on legal technicality
At a previous hearing, Davies claimed the use of a P-word had been ‘a joke between friends’, directed at a man called Benjamin Sillett who, the court was told, has Arabic heritage. Judge Snow blasted Davies for his account, describing it as ‘a load of rubbish’ and thumped ‘No jury would believe this’ as he rejected the need for a Newton hearing.
At the same court, on Wednesday, defence counsel Rachael Payne said Davies maintained the comment was part of a ‘back and forth’ between friends and he had not meant to tag Ms Braverman. Ms Payne conceded ‘there was an element’ of ‘hostility based on race’ but insisted Davies did not intend the comment to be ‘offensive in that way’.
Like Judge Snow, District Judge Daniel Sternberg did not accept Davies’ unlikely story, and said, from his own knowledge of Twitter, it was possible to remove people from tags when replying in a thread. “I do not accept it was any accident in Suella Braverman being tagged in that conversation,” said Judge Sternberg.
‘Terrible and disgusting’
Ahead of his sentencing, Davies described himself as ‘a complete idiot’, having confessed to a probation officer his comment was ‘terrible and disgusting’, Ms Payne told the court. Judge Sternberg said this was an ‘apt characterisation’.
Ms Payne also said it had been ‘a very difficult personal time’ for Davies, drinking 10-12 cans of a beer a day after the death of his mother and a close friend. An injured heel also means Davies is unable to work and is in receipt of benefits, the court was told.
Concluding her mitigation, Ms Payne said: “He held his hands up, has shown remorse. It was one Tweet. It was removed shortly after.”
But Judge Sternberg was clear about his views on the Tweet as he uplifted the sentence to eight weeks suspended for 12 months because of the racial aggravation.
“I do consider it a part of the contribution to toxic discourse of people in public life,” said the judge, also slapping Davies with 25 rehabilitation days and a 12 month prohibited activity ban which stops him contacting Ms Braverman.
Davies must also pay £85 in costs and a £134 victim surcharge.
Got a story or a court case we should cover? Please email [email protected] or WhatsApp 07580255582
Don’t miss out on the latest crime stories from across London. Sign up to MyLondon’s Court & Crime newsletter HERE
