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| Rhodri Colwyn Philipps jailed over Gina Miller post | Rhodri Colwyn Philipps jailed over Gina Miller post |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| An aristocrat who wrote an online post offering £5,000 to anyone who ran over businesswoman Gina Miller has been sentenced to 12 weeks in prison. | An aristocrat who wrote an online post offering £5,000 to anyone who ran over businesswoman Gina Miller has been sentenced to 12 weeks in prison. |
| Rhodri Colwyn Philipps - the 4th Viscount St Davids - wrote the message four days after Ms Miller won a Brexit legal challenge against the government. | |
| Chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot said she had "no doubt it was menacing". | Chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot said she had "no doubt it was menacing". |
| Philipps, 50, of Knightsbridge, central London, was found guilty of two charges of making menacing communications. | Philipps, 50, of Knightsbridge, central London, was found guilty of two charges of making menacing communications. |
| He called his comments "satire". | He called his comments "satire". |
| At his trial earlier this week Philipps claimed that the post was a "joke" and a "conversation piece for his Facebook friends". | |
| However, Ms Arbuthnot told the peer that the post effectively put a "bounty" on Ms Miller's head and had left the businesswoman "shocked" and feeling "violated." | |
| 'Boat jumper' | |
| Philipps had posted online: "£5,000 for the first person to 'accidentally' run over this bloody troublesome first generation immigrant." | Philipps had posted online: "£5,000 for the first person to 'accidentally' run over this bloody troublesome first generation immigrant." |
| Describing Ms Miller as a "boat jumper", he added: "If this is what we should expect from immigrants, send them back to their stinking jungles." | Describing Ms Miller as a "boat jumper", he added: "If this is what we should expect from immigrants, send them back to their stinking jungles." |
| Philipps was convicted at Westminster Magistrates' Court of two counts. | Philipps was convicted at Westminster Magistrates' Court of two counts. |
| The other post he was convicted for was in response to a news article about an immigrant and his family in Luton who were involved in a row over housing. | |
| 'Wholly disgraceful' | |
| Ms Arbuthnot said the the peer had a hatred of anyone who had different views to his and "anyone who has recently arrived in the country". | |
| The judge added: "You show this hatred by publicly directing abusive threats at others which is a criminal offence in this multi-racial society we are lucky enough to live in." | |
| Before sentencing, Philipps' lawyer Sabrina Felix told the court that Philipps understood how his actions had "impacted" on the subjects of his posts, and "he only hopes, wishes and prays that they do accept his sincere apology." | |
| Ms Felix added that "he accepts that the comments were wholly disgraceful" and "menacing in character." | |
| Ms Arbuthnot said Philipps was "so clearly showing hostility to Ms Miller based on her race or ethnic origin that I find it ludicrous that he should say otherwise". |