A retired radiology nurse, accused of sending threatening white powder to Lord Sandhurst and Baroness Chisholm while urging them to support the assisted-suicide Parliamentary bill, has been cleared by a jury.
Cleared: Ong
Malaysian-born Chek-Min Ong, 74, who lives in the UK’s first LGBTQ retirement block opposite the Houses of Parliament was caring for his ailing partner Tim at the time, who had suffered a devastating stroke.
He has since sadly died from Covid.
The peers never received the envelopes, containing what turned out to be harmless sucrose, as they were intercepted by postal handlers wearing full personal protective equipment.
Ong, of Albert Embankment, Lambeth had pleaded not guilty to two counts of sending a white powder to Lord Sandhurst and Baroness Chisholm on or before October 11, 2021 that conveyed a threat and with intent to cause distress and anxiety, contrary to the Malicious Communications Act.
The Southwark Crown Court jury unanimously cleared him after deliberating for less than two hours.
Afterwards he said: “I am so relieved. This is something I did not do.”
He claimed throughout the case he did not remember sending the letters or putting the sugar into the envelopes.
His psychiatrist said there was a possibility he was suffering dissociative neurological symptom disorder, which causes memory difficulties.
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| Opened Envelope: Daniel Senyah |
However, when questioned by police Ong admitted he was the author of the accompanying letter in the envelope that were posted to Conservative Peer Lord Sandhurst, Guy Rhys John Mansfield KC, 74.
The former barrister was the Chairman of the General Council of the Bar in 2005 and current Chairman of Research for the Society of Conservative Lawyers.
Ong also admitted to police he wrote the letter in the envelope to Baroness Chisholm, Carlyn Elizabeth Chisholm, 71, a life peer, who sits as a Crossbencher, who is former Chair of the Conservative Party’s Candidates Committee.
Prosecutor Toby Fitzgerald told the jury SPS postal employee Daniel Senyah arrived at work at the Canning Town site 6.00am on October 11, 2021. “He noticed there was a letter addressed to Lord Sandhurst.
“He noticed on rubbing the envelope there appeared to be something inside it. He opened a corner and shook it and some granular powder came out of it.
“He was wearing full PPE at the time. After shaking it some more granular powder was noticed as it came out.
“This granular powder was later found to be harmless and legal sucrose, but obviously this defendant had put that sucrose in there intending its presence to be a threat and to cause distress or anxiety for the person it was addressed to.
“It was intended to be seen as harmful.”
The Metropolitan Police’s specialist GU80 team rushed to the location.
“While GU80 were at the depot a further envelope was noticed addressed to Baroness Chisholm,” explained Mr Fitzgerald.
“This was checked and found to have an identical letter inside and again there was white granular powder and again it was found to be sucrose.
“Both letters were in term of asking the peers to support the assisted-dying bill in the Lords.
“They read either Dear Lord Sandhurst or Baroness Chisholm: ‘Please support the assisted-dying bill. We have to let the people lead their own lives.
‘To die with suffering, pain and losing dignity when there is no known cure cure for illness is inhuman. Britain is being left behind.’”
Both peers were encouraged to to attend the October 22 second-reading of the bill in the Lords.
‘The assisted-dying bill won’t mean more deaths, but fewer people suffering,’ read the letters.
Typed on the letters were Chik-Min Ong’s full name and then-address in Queen’s Road, Ealing. They were also personally signed ‘Yours Sincerely’ by the author.
“This defendant composed and sent these letters for his own reasons and added the sucrose as a threat to convey stress and anxiety by filling the envelope with white powder,” said the prosecutor.
“That was intended to to look as if it was harmful and provide a threat and it was this defendant’s intention to cause distress and anxiety.”
Ong was traced by police and attended Charing Cross Police Station on February 22, last year.
“He told the police he had not sent the letters, but agreed it was his signature and handwriting on the envelope. He denied putting anything but the letters into the envelope.
“This defendant was for many years a distinguished radiology nurse and supported assisted-dying and his long-standing partner Tim was very ill following a stroke in 2021.
“This is not about the defendant having a noble, skilled and benevolent career or if you support assisted-dying or politics of religion,” the prosecutor told the police.
“The most important issue is what did this defendant intend by sending this powder?
“He was aware of what he was doing, the consequences of putting sugar in the envelopes with the intention to cause anxiety and distress.”
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