A man appeared in court yesterday charged with threatening to kill a Birmingham councillor. Stuart Collins, 48, of Birmingham, appeared before city magistrates over claims abusive threats were sent to Respect councillor Salma Yaqoob. She is the councillor for Sparkbrook and her party’s national leader.
A West Midlands Police spokesman confirmed: “Following an investigation, a 48 year-old has been charged with racially aggravated harassment, religiously aggravated harassment and making threats to kill. He appeared at Birmingham Magistrates Court and was bailed until August 31.”
Coun Yaqoob chairs the anti-war movement in Birmingham and is an active pro-Palestinian campaigner. She is an outspoken commentator on Muslim issues, and regularly appears on TV and radio current affairs programmes. After standing as a Respect candidate in the 2005 election, she was elected in the Sparkbrook ward in the 2006 local elections.