White supremacist who targeted Jess Phillips sentenced to two years in prison
April 10, 2021, 10:16 am

White supremacist who targeted Jess Phillips sentenced to two years in prison

Jess Phillips was sent more than 300 threatening messages

Tony Eckersley sent a picture of Jo Cox along with the threat to ‘have you dealt with’

A white supremacist has been jailed for more than two years after sending hundreds of violent, misogynistic and racist messages to Labour MP Jess Phillips.

Tony Eckersley, 52, from Salford, Greater Manchester, sent the Labour MP more than 300 threatening messages over a nine-month period.

Within the emails, Eckersley sent Phillips, who is shadow minister for domestic violence and safeguarding, a picture of Jo Cox, the Labour MP who was murdered in 2016, accompanied with the message: “I will have you dealt with.”

In the emails, Eckersley called Phillips a “treasonous cow” and a “virtue signalling rape facilitator” and said that it would be “appropriate” for her and other MPs to be blown up during a terror attack at the House of Commons.

Although police initially warned him about his conduct, Eckersley continued to message Phillips at her constituency office in Birmingham, accusing her of “abusing her authority and privilege to shut him down like so many British heroes”. His messages also contained extreme racist language, aimed predominantly towards those from an Asian or Muslim background. He was later arrested.

Eckersley was sentenced to 28 months in prison at Manchester crown court on Friday, after pleading guilty to racially aggravated harassment of the MP between May 2019 and February 2020.

He is also subject to a restraining order that bans him from being within 100 metres of Phillips’s home and workplace, and is prohibited from any kind of communication with her for 10 years.

The court also heard that Eckersley has originally sent abusive emails to the Labour MP Graham Stringer in 2018, and that he targeted Phillips because of her views on issues relating to women’s rights and gendered violence.

The prosecutor, Robert Hall, said: “He said people in the UK would become violent, including sexually violent, towards Phillips and other politicians as a response to the alleged behaviour of those politicians.”

Judge Hilary Manley, who delivered the sentencing, said that Eckersley was an “inadequate man” who “cannot cope with the reality of having reached your 50s without ever really achieving much save for a habit of sitting at your keyboard venting your frustration at others”.

She continued, saying that the “ranting, hate-filled and threatening messages contained repeated and vile slurs directed at Muslim and Arab people, repulsive language and calculated and spiteful misogyny towards a serving MP”, and that targeting a serving MP and seeking to intimidate and silence her “strikes at the heart of democracy”.

source: Tobi Thomas

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).

Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.