James O'Brien 10am - 1pm
Jess Phillips' jailed stalker wins £100,000 on scratch card as MP given ‘terror alert’ over concerns
15 October 2022, 23:44
Labour MP Jess Phillips has revealed her jailed stalker won £100,000 on the lottery – as the shadow minister is warned of a potential of an attack from prison.
Phillips’ stalker, 56-year-old Rakeem Malik, was convicted of making death threats against her between May 2019 and November 2019.
According to the Mail on Sunday, the Labour politician was given the warning by counter-terror police after Malik won the prize while on mental health day release from an NHS secure unit.
It’s also reported the winnings were then transferred directly to his jail account where he is able to access to them.
Describing how the police ‘turned up mob-handed’ to Phillips’ office, the MP told of how she was then warned Malik could attempt to mount an attack ‘against me while still in prison’ using the winnings.
Read more: Miriam Margolyes delivers F-word rant at Jeremy Hunt
Malik was sentenced to five-year in prison in 2020 for posting death threats to Mrs Phillips, former Prime Ministers Boris Johnson, Theresa May, as well as another unnamed female MP.
Phillips, Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding, revealed to fellow MPs that counter-terrorism police’s concerns stemmed from the fact Malik had ‘access to quite substantial sums that could have been used in the commission of crimes against me’.
She told MPs: “The threats were jihadist in nature and largely about how the person in prison – obviously a risk factor on the balance of probabilities – was working with people on the outside to kill me and my family.”
However, Ministry of Justice sources are said to have played down the threat according to the Mail on Sunday, noting that Malik could only spend his closely monitored funds on approved items that include food, toiletries or computer games.
A Prison Service spokesman is said: ‘Spending by prisoners is tightly restricted and any transfers are subject to approval by prison staff.’
The NHS has said it was unaware of the win and refused to comment further on the matter.