Teacher who claimed to be IRA member jailed for sending death threats to Kemi Badenoch

A former teacher who claimed to be a former IRA member has been jailed after sending racist death threats to Kemi Badenoch.Kieran Kyle sent one email to the Tory leader saying 'I would have shot you dead,' days after she posted a video on social media referencing Bloody Sunday.Mrs Badenoch and her husband Hamish were said to have been left 'distressed' and 'very upset' by Kyle's correspondence – but told the court their wider concerns were the attacks on democracy.Kyle, 43, from Gillingham in Kent, claimed he was not aware of who Mrs Badenoch was at the time of the offensive emails.He was handed a 20-week jail term after he pleaded guilty to two counts of sending communication of an indecent or offensive nature at Westminster Magistrates' Court this afternoon.In one of several messages sent last spring, former secondary schoolteacher Kyle wrote to the Conservative Party leader's Parliament email address: 'When I was in the IRA I would have shot you f****** dead.'Prosecutor Ben Holt said: 'In interview he admitted to sending the messages using the most distressing language possible, to cause the most distress possible.'There is some planning from Mr Kyle with what language will be used to cause distress. Plainly, this offending was deliberate.' Kieran Kyle, from Gillingham in Kent, admitted sending offensive emails to Kemi Badenoch and her husbandKyle sent emails containing death threats and racial slurs to Mrs Badenoch's husband, Hamish, on 28 and 29 April.The former secondary schoolteacher warned Mr Badenoch that his wife was 'misusing Bloody Sunday' and said: 'Pray she never ends up in Belfast, cos she will be left face down in a ditch with a bullet in her head.'Three further messages sent to Mrs Badenoch's official email were received by the head of her parliamentary office, Cheryl Bacon – one of which used an extreme racial slur.In her victim impact statement, Mrs Badenoch said: 'Our primary concern arising from this offence is not the personal impact on us, but the wider consequences that malicious communications and targeted harassment have on our democratic life.'When individuals choose to intimidate, threaten, or aggressively target elected representatives or public figures, the harm extends far beyond any single person. It undermines a healthy democracy.'Public service relies on people being willing to step forward, often at significant personal cost, to represent their communities and contribute to public life.'Increasingly, however, those who do so face hostility, harassment, and attempts to silence or intimidate them. This behaviour creates an environment in which fewer capable people feel able to participate.'It narrows the pool of those willing to stand for office, reduces diversity of thought and background, and ultimately weakens the quality of governance available to the public.' The emails sent to Tory leader Mrs Badenoch and her husband Hamish left the couple 'distressed' and 'very upset', the court heard In her statement, read by Mr Holt, she added: 'Malicious communication is not simply unpleasant, it is corrosive.'It fosters a climate in which political debate becomes dominated by fear rather than ideas, and where individuals-regardless of party or ideology-must weigh their desire to serve against the risk of becoming a target.'When harassment becomes normalised, democratic institutions suffer. Decision-making becomes more cautious, public engagement declines, and trust in the political process erodes.'The offence committed here contributes to that wider pattern. It reinforces a culture in which public figures are treated as legitimate targets for abuse rather than as individuals performing roles essential to the functioning of society.'The impact is cumulative: each incident adds to an atmosphere that discourages participation and undermines the integrity of public life.'We are therefore making this statement not about our own personal distress, which does exist, but the larger harm to the body politic.'She said harassing politicians and public figures 'damages our democracy, deters good people from entering public service, and diminishes the quality of leadership available to all of us'.'That is the real impact of this offence, and it is why addressing such behaviour matters,' she said.Defending, Baiju Thittala said Kyle was a schoolteacher for around ten years but his mental health deteriorated after he was threatened with being stabbed by a student in 2023.A knife was later found in the student's backpack, the court heard.Mr Thittala said: 'From that point onwards, Mr Kyle's mental health started to decline.'He said Kyle, who has a nine-year-old son, lost his job as a media teacher at Knole Academy in Sevenoaks after 'oppressive management' took over the school.Mr Thittala added at the time of the offences Kyle was at a low point in his mental health, and the malicious emails were an 'impulsive, emotional reaction'.District Judge Sam Goozee said: 'He told the probation officer he said he didn't appreciate who Mrs Badenoch was at the time he sent the email, which is something I struggled with, because he chose to email her parliamentary office.'Mr Thittala replied: 'He Googled (Mrs Badenoch's name) and it came up as the Opposition leader.'Judge Goozee said: 'But he emailed her husband first… In time, he located Mr Badenoch's address, which wasn't in the public record.'So he clearly knew who Mrs Badenoch was, because he knew how to research to locate Mr Badenoch's email address.'The defence barrister spoke to Kyle briefly and then told the judge: 'He was not clearly aware who he was sending it to.'The judge said: 'Mr Kyle is an experienced school teacher, and he did not know who Mrs Badenoch was at the time he sent the message?'Mr Thittala said: 'Yes… he Googled it, he sent the message. He didn't even know who he sent it to.' Judge Goozee pointed out Kyle was sending it to a parliamentary email address.Sentencing, the judge said: 'The actions were deliberate, and in my assessment, there is a high level of culpability.'Impulsiveness may explain a single email, but not the several you sent. It was targeted.'This is not just an isolated email, it was several emails to her parliamentary office and her husband in a short period of time.'He said he did not find Kyle's explanation 'credible', adding the behaviour 'undermines democratic processes and how politicians run their everyday lives'.The judge added: 'Mrs Badenoch was providing a public service at the time of the offence as a member of parliament and leader of the Conservative party.'As I have stated from the outset, these offences, targeted at a member of parliament to cause fear, undermine the fabric of the democratic process and affect how politicians conduct their day-to-day lives.'Your emails included threats to kill… the harm you caused to Mrs Badenoch was significant, as well as her husband and secondary harm to her staff.'Kyle showed no emotion as he was jailed.Judge Goozee also imposed a five-year restraining order against contacting Mrs Badenoch, her husband, or her staff.He also ordered a surcharge of £154.Earlier this year, Mrs Badenoch apologised for footage from Bloody Sunday being used in a social media clip to criticise a bill on legacy issues in Northern Ireland.The Conservative leader said she did not sign off on the video, and that it was sent out by 'very young people'.