Court user gets four months for terrorising staff

A court user man who bombarded staff with emails and phone calls referring to them as ‘Nazis’ and ‘scumbags’ has been jailed for four months.

Jonah Specter, 28, suffers for Asperger’s syndrome and was awarded £25,000 in damages in 2018 after being refused entry to a ride at Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland.

Across three years Specter sent multiple emails and voicemails terrorising staff at the Criminal Cases Review Commission and High Court between 30 May 2018 and 15 October 2021

On one day alone, Specter called John Jones an employee at the Criminal Cases Review Commission 121 times.

Prosecutor Sudara Weerasena had previously told the court ‘The email correspondence was abusive and offensive in nature,

‘He refers to members of staff as Nazis and calls recipients “filth and scumbags”, in capital letters.

‘The period of time, the persistence, the language used, are quite alarming in its content.’

Emelia Bezant-Gahan, a solicitor working at the CCRC specialising in defending civil cases, received instructions from Mr Specter who wanted to make a claim against the Crown Court.

Specter introduced himself by writing: ‘Welcome to my justice process scumbags.’

Ms Bezant-Gahan said: ‘Overall these emails made me really anxious. They made me think he was deeply disturbed and dangerous.

‘I know that he knows my workplace address and he referenced making a crime scene at work.

‘He mentioned multiple times he had alter egos including “Rage”. The way he communicated did not make me think he was acting rationally.’

Specter had previously been able to identify the address and close family members of a High Court judge and this caused workers ‘anxiety and stress’.

In one email to the CCRC, Specter filed his complaint by saying: ‘I’ve now got all the necessary evidence to expose your crimes.

‘The Nazi British government has no real authority in relation to “the offence”. I will be drastically escalating the process to bring an end to your crimes.’

Mr John Jones’ said in a statement read to the court: ‘This whole incident has made me feel extremely harassed.

‘I feel personally distressed from his suggestions that I should “f*** off and die, Nazi piece of trash.”’

‘Mr Specter sent multiple emails that read ‘justice is coming scumbags, tick tock tick tock tick tock.’

He also threatened to seize control of the work computer systems and gain access to their system.

Matilda Egeonu, who worked at the judges’ listing office at the Royal Courts of Justice was also harassed on the phone which she found ‘seriously distressing’.

Ms Weerase told the court ‘He said “Do not f**king hang up on me again am I clear?

‘I told you not to f*cking hang up again. I will arrest you, you will be on your kitchen floor in handcuffs. I will arrest you.’

‘He used repeatedly degrading language including “stupid b**** f*** off you stupid b****.”

Ms Egeonu said ‘He managed to somehow find our personal addresses. I fear Specter will seek to harass me in the future.’

A police officer, referred to only as PC Hulatt, said he was left ‘living in fear’ after he received threatening emails from Specter.

‘This leaves me with great anxiety and distress,’ he said.

‘I have had a dream about Specter finding out where I live. I fear for my family’s safety.’

PC Hullatt said he is ‘afraid to open his emails at times, diagnosed with anxiety and receiving medication.’

Specter, representing himself and wearing a grey tracksuit, told Westminster Magistrates’ Court: ‘It’s quite funny sitting through this by the criminal conspiracy …everything you do here is irrelevant.

Pointing at the prosecutor, Adrita Ahmed, he said ‘I’m entertained by this person looking at me call the police and get them arrested.’

Specter, of Waterloo Road, Uxbridge, denied but was convicted of two charges of sending threatening messages, one for sending offensive messages, two charges of harassment without violence and one charge of criminal damage.

He stood up and left the dock before he was sentenced to a total of four months imprisonment.

Specter was also given a restraining order where he cannot enter the Royal Courts of justice or contact any of the victims of harassment.