Brexit protestor who hit Jeremy Corbyn with an egg admits assault
2 min read
A Brexit supporter who egged Jeremy Corbyn has admitted an assault charge.
John Murphy pleaded guilty to common assault over the incident which took place on 3 March while Mr Corbyn was on a visit to a mosque in his Islington constituency.
A court heard that the Labour leader was hit with an egg while Mr Murphy repatedly shouted "respect the vote".
Chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot made clear that Mr Murphy could face jail time over the attack, telling the court that she was considering the incident "very seriously".
"Attacks on MPs must stop, of whatever type, with an egg or in any other way," the judge said.
"The message needs to go out that the courts will not allow this to continue."
An impact statement from the Labour leader was also read out in court, with Mr Corbyn saying such attacks could "drive a wedge between elected representatives and those who elect them in the first place".
He said: "While I’m in a very public role, it’s often very painful to see my wife, sons, and wider family suffer deep stress because of my role and because of these attacks upon me.
"It impacts our lives but I’m determined I will carry on in my public role and ensure that I never cut off from the people I represent."
Mr Murphy will either be sentenced on Monday afternoon or at a later date.
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