A bomb hoaxer claimed he would target a town hall after accusing Andy Burnham of “protecting paedophiles”, and sent threats to professionals including two MPs.
Anthony McGrath, 57, posted on X in November last year threatening to bomb Greater Manchester Police headquarters unless they returned property belonging to him, Liverpool Crown Court heard.
In 2024 he sent threatening emails to Salford MP Rebecca Long-Bailey and Sir Robert Buckland, who at the time was the MP for South Swindon.
McGrath, of Sale, Greater Manchester, who pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing, was sentenced to a 15-month community order, given a seven-year restraining order, and ordered to have mental health treatment.
The court heard McGrath had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act following his arrest.
Martyn Walsh, prosecuting, said that in one email sent to Long-Bailey, McGrath said: “You all messed with the wrong person. My army is much bigger considering I have Russian and Chinese support. We will be armed and shoot to kill.”
In another message, he told the Labour MP “you are a target” and gave a time when her office would explode.
Walsh told the court: “Ms Long-Bailey said the incident ‘made me feel worried about the safety of my staff and myself’.”
