A North East woman has been handed a restraining order after harassing an MP - by sending her abusive and homophobic tweets.
Susan Dematas, of Falmouth Drive, Jarrow, was found guilty last month of harassment without violence against her constituency MP Kate Osborne.
Ms Osborne, who is openly gay, previously gave evidence against Susan Dematas in court.
Now Dematas, 53, of Jarrow, has been handed an 18 month restraining order at South Tyneside Magistrates Court to stay away from Ms Osborne.
She has also been given an 18 month community order until March 2024 and 15 days of rehabilitation activity, as well as being ordered to pay £80 in compensation.
Following the sentencing Kate Osborne, Labour MP for Jarrow, said: “Last month, I attended South Tyneside Magistrates Court to give evidence as a victim of harassment from a local constituent and welcomed the findings of the court.
“The defendant was found guilty of harassment without violence, with the judge remarking on the homophobic content.
“This morning, the defendant was sentenced to 18 months Community Order, £80 compensation and an 18 month restraining order to not contact me and my office directly or indirectly as well as not refer to me either directly or indirectly on social media.
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“I will be donating the compensation that will be to a charity within the Jarrow constituency who among other services offer support to LGBTQ+ people in the community.
“Homophobic abuse has no place in our community or society as a whole. It is important that where we can, we stand up to this and report abuse and hate crimes to the relevant authorities. I will continue to use my platform as a MP to campaign for a better, more tolerant society, not just in the Jarrow constituency, but nationally too.
“I would like to thank again my family and my team for the support they have given me throughout this stressful time as well as the police and the CPS for their help in pursuing this case.”
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