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Comments made by a major Tory donor who said Diane Abbott “should be shot” could clear hurdles in the legal process, lawyers said.
Businessman Frank Hester reportedly made the remark at a meeting attended by colleagues in 2019.
At the same meeting, he also reportedly said that watching Mr Abbott, Britain’s longest-serving black MP, “makes me want to hate all black women”.
Mr Hester, chief executive of healthcare software company The Phoenix Partnership (TPP), donated £5m to the Conservative Party last year, with a further £5m donated through his company.
TPP said in a statement that Hester “deeply regrets his comments,” adding, “While he acknowledges that he was rude to Diane Abbott in a private meeting several years ago, his criticism of Diane Abbott was It had nothing to do with their gender or skin color.”
Criminal lawyer Yasin Patel said: I Mr. Hester’s statement is In certain circumstances, it may be recognized as a hate crime, which Criminal Disorder Act 1998 and Sentencing Act 2020.
If it can be proven that there was a motive to be hostile and prejudiced against someone because of some factor, such as race or sexual orientation, that person can be charged with a crime.
Patel said, “It’s a very strong statement to say someone needs to shoot someone. When someone says, ‘I want to hate all black women because of her,’ he’s saying he’s against an entire race.” I have a bias. He abused her and did it in front of her other witnesses.
“His statements could potentially be considered a hate crime.”
Sailesh Mehta, lawyer and founding member of the Lawyers and Human Rights Commission, pointed out that: Part 3 of the Public Order Act 1986 Makes it a criminal offense to use threatening, abusive or insulting language with the intent to incite racial hatred or where it is likely to incite racial hatred.
Mehta said: “Having considered the circumstances of the incident, I believe that the words used are likely to be seen as inciting racial hatred.”
Offenses under Part 3 of the Public Order Act are punishable by up to seven years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.
Police are believed to have been contacted about the comments, and Scotland Yard said staff from its parliamentary liaison investigation team were in contact with MPs about their reports. guardianthe article broke on Monday.
Mr Abbott said the comments were “horrifying” and “alarming” given the murders of two MPs in recent years, Jo Cox and Sir David Amess.
In a statement, TPP added:guardian Frank is right when he says he hates racism, especially when he cites it because he experienced it as a child of Irish immigrants in the 1970s.
“He called Diane Abbott twice today and attempted to apologize directly to her for hurting her. We deeply regret his comments.”
The TPP added that he “would like to make clear that we believe racism is a poison that has no place in public life.”
Rishi Sunak condemned the comments as racist on Tuesday night after coming under pressure from members of his own party.
In a statement shortly after 6pm on Tuesday, the Prime Minister’s spokesperson said: “The comments that Frank Hester is said to have made were racist and wrong. He has now duly apologized for the offense he caused. If an attitude of remorse has been shown, it should be accepted.
“The Prime Minister has made it clear that there is no place for racism in public life, and as the first British Asian Prime Minister to lead the most ethnically diverse cabinet in our country’s history, the UK will continue to live up to that fact. It’s proof.”
Abbott is the first black woman elected to Congress and serves as a member of Congress. Hackney North and Stoke Newington She has been operating as an independent since being suspended by the Parliamentary Labor Party in April last year.