Penis-Obsessed Constituent Harassed His Female MP

Obsessed: Richard Guy 

A penis-obsessed constituent sent his local MP Helen Hayes a picture of the famous Cerne Abbas Giant chalk-man during a year-long email harassment campaign, a court heard.

Richard Guy, 43, also attached a photo of a man’s naked backside in an email, plus a full-length mirror image, despite a police warning to stop sending up to twenty “nonsensical” messages per day.

He was convicted of harassing the MP for Dulwich and West Norwood between September 1, last year and April 24 and City of London Magistrates Court heard the emails began in April, 2018.

Guy was only charged for the period after uniformed police attended his address in Furneaux Avenue, West Norwood and issued a prevention of harassment warning.

He did not attend the trial and a warrant for his arrest was issued by District Judge Vanessa Baraitser, who announced: “These matters have caused her distress due to the content and nature of the emails, which also contained an image of an indecent nature.”

The court heard Guy sent a total of 576 emails after the police warning and plenty more before and was banned from the MP’s regular Friday constituency surgeries due to his strange behaviour.

Cerne Abbas Giant

Prosecutor Mr. Philip Stott told the court the emails contained Guy’s views on a vast array of subjects, including current affairs, politics, Brexit, his own sexuality, anti-semitism and homosexuality.

The Labour MP’s assistant Bethany Currie told police about Guy last August after his emails became more explicit. “He started talking about his penis and I became concerned.”

Last Christmas he enquired about Ms Hayes’ whereabouts in an email, asking: “Where are you this am?”

Helen Hayes MP

The assistant checks the MP’s parliamentary emails, but was overwhelmed by the sheer volume from Guy. “They were sent on a near daily basis,” explained Mr. Stott.

“Due to the volume she was unable to read them all and was concerned in the current climate there may have been something in them she missed.”

Ms Currie said in her statement: “They are hard to read due to their unpleasant nature, length and nonsensical nature.”

Because Guy ignored the harassment warning he was arrested, now sporting dyed ginger hair, on April 24, this year.

PC Richard Gallipo said: “He was immediately aggressive and agitated…..He said he had the right to free speech.”

District Judge Baraitser said: “Whatever his grievances his conduct clearly became harassment. He sent a barrage of emails, sometimes ten or more in day.

“This was capricious and irrational behaviour.

"In light of the possibility of a mental health issue I don’t want to proceed to sentence, which at this point would be custodial.”

The prosecution will apply for a restraining order once Guy is found and brought to court for sentencing.