Prosecutor Ben Holt said the North West Essex MP and her husband were left “distressed” and “upset”, particularly by the “racist language and threats of violence used towards them”.

He added Cheryl Bacon, head of Badenoch’s parliamentary office, said the emails were “disgusting” and “distressing” to read.

Baiju Thittala, defending, told the court Kyle “did not know” who Badenoch was at the time of the offences, adding “he only realised later, once he had sent the emails”.

Asked by the judge how Kyle, a former secondary school teacher, could not know who Badenoch was, Thittala said: “He just ‘Googled’ it and it came up as the opposition leader.”

The judge said: “The first emails were sent to Mr Badenoch, so I don’t think he did not appreciate who Mrs Badenoch was.

“So he clearly knew who Mrs Badenoch was because he researched her husband’s details first.”

The Badenochs said in their victim impact statement: “Our primary concern arising from this offence is not the personal impact on us, but the wider consequences that malicious communications and targeted harassment have on our democratic life.

“When individuals choose to intimidate, threaten, or aggressively target elected representatives or public figures, the harm extends far beyond any single person. It undermines a healthy democracy.”

The continued: “Public service relies on people being willing to step forward, often at significant personal cost, to represent their communities and contribute to public life.

“Increasingly, however, those who do so face hostility, harassment, and attempts to silence or intimidate them.”

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