A woman who tried to summon her MP, the solicitor general Ellie Reeves, to court has been jailed for harassment in London.
Tracey Smith sent Reeves 22 emails and 10 voicemails calling her “transphobic” and accusing her older sister – the chancellor, Rachel Reeves – of physically assaulting her at a buffet bar.
Smith, who is a trans woman, used phrases including “a person is dangerous when they have nothing to lose” and “bullets will be flying around”.
The 58-year-old was jailed for 26 weeks and ordered to pay costs of £650 at Westminster magistrates court on Friday.
District judge Michael Snow also ordered a restraining order without time limit to be imposed.
Smith had persuaded a county court to issue a witness summons to Reeves, which the MP was able to avoid only with the help of lawyers for the speaker of the House of Commons.
Smith also made accusations about the local council, doctors and the police, and demanded that Reeves contact her personally to get the full story.
Smith claimed she was trying to ask the Lewisham West and East Dulwich MP for help, but a judge found her guilty of harassment after a one-day trial last month.
Snow said Smith’s offending was intended to cause Reeves “maximum fear and distress” and was “a direct attack upon democracy”.
He told Smith she had used language which was “inflammatory, which was threatening and which continued even after you were told in no uncertain terms to desist”.
Snow added: “It was deliberate, planned and had a very significant effect on Ms Reeves – causing her significant anxiety which prevented her from fully engaging with her family.”
Sentencing Smith, he told her: “You did cause Ms Reeves to adopt considerable changes to her lifestyle and this directly impacted upon her democratic duties.
“You caused her to engage a special protection officer to accompany her, caused her to change the ways in which she behaves within her constituency in that she no longer travels by foot or public transport.”
Between July and October 2024, Smith sent emails and left voicemails accusing Reeves of “legalising sexual abuse”, “abusing the law” and being a “fascist”, the court heard.
Reeves told the trial that Smith left her a “slightly menacing” voicemail telling her “time is running out” for her to respond.
In one of her emails, Smith said the MP’s sister and chancellor “looked like the woman who attacked me at a buffet bar”, the court heard.
Reeves also told the trial that Smith’s action “was upsetting me, it was upsetting my staff. It just felt like it wasn’t going to stop.”
