Ex-teacher who sent racist emails to Kemi Badenoch jailed

9th November, 2026 | News

Former Teacher Jailed for Sending Racist Death Threats to Tory Leader Kemi Badenoch

A former school teacher who sent racist death threats to Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch and claimed he would have shot her while in the IRA has been sentenced to 20 weeks in prison.

Kieran Kyle, from Gillingham in Kent, targeted Ms Badenoch and her husband, Hamish, across multiple emails sent to her parliamentary address in May. Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard that the messages included threats of violence referencing the IRA, as well as racist abuse.

The threats coincided with a political controversy after a video regarding Northern Ireland’s legacy issues mistakenly featured footage of Bloody Sunday on the party’s social media channels. While Badenoch later apologised for the error, explaining the clip was posted by junior staff, Kyle responded with aggressive threats.

Details of the Threatening Emails

Court documents revealed a series of abusive communications sent by Kyle:

• 29 January: Kyle emailed Ms Badenoch’s husband, using racist language, criticising her remarks, and stating he should “put a leash on her.”
• 2 May (First Email): Sent a message warning that “misusing Bloody Sunday is a new low, pray she never ends up in Belfast ‘cos she’ll be left face down in a ditch with a bullet in her head.”
• 2 May (Subsequent Emails): Wrote directly to the Conservative leader stating, “When I was in the IRA I would have shot you f****** dead.”

Defence counsel Baiju Thittala confirmed in court that Kyle had never actually been a member of the IRA, despite falsely claiming affiliation in the messages.

Kyle pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to two counts of sending communications of an indecent or offensive nature. Alongside his 20-week prison sentence, a judge slapped him with a five-year restraining order prohibiting him from contacting Ms Badenoch, her husband, or her parliamentary office.

Badenochs Warn Against Impact on Democracy

In a joint victim impact statement read during the proceedings, Mr and Mrs Badenoch emphasised that the broader implications of targeted harassment pose a serious threat to public 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,” the statement read.

“Harassing politicians and public figures damages our democracy, deters good people from entering public service, and diminishes the quality of leadership available to us all.”