Latest news with #CardiffMagistrates'Court
South Wales Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- South Wales Guardian
Former Conservative MP who harassed ex-wife handed community order
Katie Wallis, 41, of Butetown, Cardiff, the MP for Bridgend in South Wales from 2019 to 2024, became the first openly transgender MP in the House of Commons in 2022. Appearing before Cardiff Magistrates' Court on Monday, Wallis, who was previously known as Jamie, was sentenced for harassing her ex-wife, Rebecca Wallis, now known as Rebecca Lovell. The court heard the former MP sent messages accusing Ms Lovell of being 'mean' to them, demanding to know about her new partner, saying she was 'cock hunting,' and calling her a 'c***' and a 'f****** bitch'. On February 25, using an unknown number, the former MP demanded £350,000 be put into their bank account within 15 minutes. In a separate message, Wallis referred to her ex-wife and father as 'prejudiced f******' adding they hope they 'never have a happy moment again'. In total, the former MP sent four messages and left one voice note. The couple split in 2020, with the divorce finalised in 2024. In a victim impact statement, which was read to the court, Ms Lovell said: 'This is the hardest thing I have written, for so long I have had to fight against the tide of Jamie's behaviour, publicly and privately.' She added: 'The woman I used to be is destroyed. I will never understand what I have done to deserve the hurt I have endured.' Ms Lovell described the last six months as 'utterly devastating' and said she was living her life as an 'overstimulated adult constantly in fight or flight'. She said she feared Wallis turning up at her home, leading her to have CCTV installed. Wallis, who was wearing a black dress, looked down as the statement was read to the court. Narita Bahra KC, appearing for the defence, said Wallis uses female pronouns, referring to Jamie as her 'deadname'. She argued it was 'disappointing' the case had come to court, criticising South Wales Police and the Crown Prosecution Service for not dealing with the issue outside the court. Ms Bahra argued it was 'unequivocal' that Wallis had been suffering from mental health difficulties at the time of the offending, partly brought on by their transitioning. She also said Wallis was suffering from PTSD, a depressive disorder and an adjustment disorder. Ms Bahra said Wallis was remorseful and did not seek to excuse her actions. In Wallis's final message to Ms Lovell she asked for help, claimed she was experiencing pain in her temples and said she wanted her father to pay for someone to hold her hand. Wallis was then found by police and sectioned under the Mental Health Act before being arrested and later charged. District Judge Rhys Williams handed Wallis a 12-month community order to be carried out over 12 days and a fine worth £1,264. He also imposed a restraining order for 12 months to prevent Wallis from contacting Ms Lovell. Wallis, who pleaded guilty to leaving the messages at a hearing in June, initially denied the charges, but changed her plea when allegations of having driven by her ex-wife's home were removed from the charge.
Leader Live
2 days ago
- Politics
- Leader Live
Former Conservative MP who harassed ex-wife handed community order
Katie Wallis, 41, of Butetown, Cardiff, the MP for Bridgend in South Wales from 2019 to 2024, became the first openly transgender MP in the House of Commons in 2022. Appearing before Cardiff Magistrates' Court on Monday, Wallis, who was previously known as Jamie, was sentenced for harassing her ex-wife, Rebecca Wallis, now known as Rebecca Lovell. The court heard the former MP sent messages accusing Ms Lovell of being 'mean' to them, demanding to know about her new partner, saying she was 'cock hunting,' and calling her a 'c***' and a 'f****** bitch'. On February 25, using an unknown number, the former MP demanded £350,000 be put into their bank account within 15 minutes. In a separate message, Wallis referred to her ex-wife and father as 'prejudiced f******' adding they hope they 'never have a happy moment again'. In total, the former MP sent four messages and left one voice note. The couple split in 2020, with the divorce finalised in 2024. In a victim impact statement, which was read to the court, Ms Lovell said: 'This is the hardest thing I have written, for so long I have had to fight against the tide of Jamie's behaviour, publicly and privately.' She added: 'The woman I used to be is destroyed. I will never understand what I have done to deserve the hurt I have endured.' Ms Lovell described the last six months as 'utterly devastating' and said she was living her life as an 'overstimulated adult constantly in fight or flight'. She said she feared Wallis turning up at her home, leading her to have CCTV installed. Wallis, who was wearing a black dress, looked down as the statement was read to the court. Narita Bahra KC, appearing for the defence, said Wallis uses female pronouns, referring to Jamie as her 'deadname'. She argued it was 'disappointing' the case had come to court, criticising South Wales Police and the Crown Prosecution Service for not dealing with the issue outside the court. Ms Bahra argued it was 'unequivocal' that Wallis had been suffering from mental health difficulties at the time of the offending, partly brought on by their transitioning. She also said Wallis was suffering from PTSD, a depressive disorder and an adjustment disorder. Ms Bahra said Wallis was remorseful and did not seek to excuse her actions. In Wallis's final message to Ms Lovell she asked for help, claimed she was experiencing pain in her temples and said she wanted her father to pay for someone to hold her hand. Wallis was then found by police and sectioned under the Mental Health Act before being arrested and later charged. District Judge Rhys Williams handed Wallis a 12-month community order to be carried out over 12 days and a fine worth £1,264. He also imposed a restraining order for 12 months to prevent Wallis from contacting Ms Lovell. Wallis, who pleaded guilty to leaving the messages at a hearing in June, initially denied the charges, but changed her plea when allegations of having driven by her ex-wife's home were removed from the charge.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Former Tory MP handed community order for harassing ex-wife
A former Tory MP has been handed a community order after admitting harassing her ex-wife. Katie Wallis, 41, was known as Jamie before she became the UK's . She represented the seat of Bridgend in South Wales from 2019 to 2022. Wallis was sentenced today for harassing ex-wife Rebecca Wallis, now known as Rebeca Lovell. Cardiff Magistrates' Court heard the ex-MP sent messages to her former partner accusing Ms Lovell of being "mean", demanding to know about a new partner, alleging her former wife was "cock-hunting" and calling Ms Lovell a c***" and a "f****** bitch". The court also heard that Wallis had demanded £350,000 from Ms Lovell using an unknown phone number In a different message, Wallis referred to her ex-wife and Ms Lovell's father as "prejudiced f******" and hoped they "never have a happy moment again". In total, the former MP sent four messages and left one voice note. The couple split in 2020 and finalised their divorce in 2024. A victim impact statement from Ms Lovell said: "This is the hardest thing I have written, for so long I have had to fight against the tide of Jamie's behaviour, publicly and privately." She added: "The woman I used to be is destroyed. I will never understand what I have done to deserve the hurt I have endured." Ms Lovell went on to say the past six months had been "utterly devastating", adding that she feared Wallis arriving at her home and had consequently installed CCTV. Wallis, wearing a black dress, looked down as the statement was read to the court. Narita Bahra KC, appearing for the defence, said Wallis uses female pronouns, referring to Jamie as her "deadname". As of last month, the former MP said her name was still legally Jamie, but she used the name Katie. Read more: Wallis's lawyer criticised the police and prosecutors for not dealing with the matter outside of court - adding that it was "unequivocal" her client had been suffering from mental health difficulties during the offending, partly brought on by her transitioning. Ms Bahra said Wallis was suffering from PTSD, a depressive disorder and an adjustment disorder. District Judge Rhys Williams handed Wallis a 12-month community order and a fine worth £1, admitted leaving the messages at a hearing in June, having previously denied the charges. The former MP asked Ms Lovell for help in the final message, and claimed she was experiencing head pain. Wallis was sectioned under the Mental Health Act after being found by police, and was later arrested and then charged. Her plea changed when allegations of having driven by Ms Lovell's home were removed from the charge. Wallis was previously convicted of driving offences in 2022 after crashing a car into a telegraph pole before fleeing the scene.
Wales Online
2 days ago
- Politics
- Wales Online
Former Conservative MP left wife 'utterly destroyed' after harassment campaign
Former Conservative MP left wife 'utterly destroyed' after harassment campaign Katie Wallis, formerly Jamie Wallis MP, admitted harassing her former wife Former Conservative MP Katie Wallis arriving at Cardiff Magistrates Court ahead of sentencing (Image: WALES NEWS SERVICE ) The ex-wife of a former Conservative MP has told a court how she was left "destroyed" by the harassment she was subjected to over a period of time. Katie Wallis, 41, from Butetown in Cardiff, was Conservative MP for Bridgend between 2019 to 2024, became the first openly transgender MP in the House of Commons in 2022. Appearing before Cardiff Magistrates' Court on Monday, Wallis, who was previously known as Jamie, was sentenced for harassing her ex-wife, Rebecca Wallis. The court heard the former MP sent messages accusing Ms Wallis of being "mean" to them, demanding to know about their new partner, saying she was "c*ck hunting," and calling her a "c***" and a "f****** bitch". On February 25, using an unknown number, the former MP demanded £350,000 be put into their bank account within 15 minutes. Don't miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here In a separate message, Wallis referred to her ex-wife and father as "prejudiced f******" adding they hope they "never have a happy moment again". The couple split in 2020, with the divorce finalised in 2024. In a victim impact statement, which was read to the court, Ms Lovell said: "This is the hardest thing I have written, for so long I have had to fight against the tide of Jamie's behaviour, publicly and privately." Article continues below She added: "The woman I used to be is destroyed. I will never understand what I have done to deserve the hurt I have endured." Ms Lovell described the last six months as "utterly devastating" and said she was living her life as an "overstimulated adult, constantly in fight or flight". She said she feared Wallis turning up at her home, leading her to have CCTV installed. Wallis, who was wearing a black dress, looked down as the statement was read to the court. Ex-MP Jamie Wallis, now Katie Wallis, arriving for a previous court hearing (Image: WALES NEWS SERVICE ) Narita Bahra KC, appearing for the defence, said Wallis uses female pronouns, referring to Jamie as her "deadname". She argued it was "disappointing" the case had come to court, criticising South Wales Police and the Crown Prosecution Service for not dealing with the issue outside the court. Ms Bahra argued it was "unequivocal" that Wallis had been suffering from mental health difficulties at the time of the offending, partly brought on by their transitioning. She also said Wallis was suffering from PTSD, a depressive disorder and an adjustment disorder. Article continues below District Judge Rhys Williams handed Wallis a 12-month community order to be carried out over 12 days and a fine worth £1,264. Wallis, who pleaded guilty to leaving the messages at a hearing in June, initially denied the charges, but changed her plea when allegations of having driven by her ex-wife's home were removed from the charge.
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
Former Conservative MP who harassed ex-wife handed community order
Appearing before Cardiff Magistrates' Court on Monday, Wallis, who was previously known as Jamie, was sentenced for harassing her ex-wife, Rebecca Wallis, now known as Rebecca Lovell. The court heard the former MP sent messages accusing Ms Lovell of being 'mean' to them, demanding to know about their new partner, saying she was 'cock hunting,' and calling her a 'c***' and a 'f****** bitch'. On February 25, using an unknown number, the former MP demanded £350,000 be put into their bank account within 15 minutes. In a separate message, Wallis referred to her ex-wife and father as 'prejudiced f******' adding they hope they 'never have a happy moment again'. The couple split in 2020, with the divorce finalised in 2024. In a victim impact statement, which was read to the court, Ms Lovell said: 'This is the hardest thing I have written, for so long I have had to fight against the tide of Jamie's behaviour, publicly and privately.' She added: 'The woman I used to be is destroyed. I will never understand what I have done to deserve the hurt I have endured.' Ms Lovell described the last six months as 'utterly devastating' and said she was living her life as an 'overstimulated adult constantly in fight or flight'. She said she feared Wallis turning up at her home, leading her to have CCTV installed. Screen grab taken from PA video of Katie Wallis leaving Cardiff Magistrates' Court after they pleaded guilty to the harassment of their ex-wife, Rebecca (PA) Wallis, who was wearing a black dress, looked down as the statement was read to the court. Narita Bahra KC, appearing for the defence, said Wallis uses female pronouns, referring to Jamie as her 'deadname'. She argued it was 'disappointing' the case had come to court, criticising South Wales Police and the Crown Prosecution Service for not dealing with the issue outside the court. Ms Bahra argued it was 'unequivocal' that Wallis had been suffering from mental health difficulties at the time of the offending, partly brought on by their transitioning. She also said Wallis was suffering from PTSD, a depressive disorder and an adjustment disorder. District Judge Rhys Williams handed Wallis a 12-month community order to be carried out over 12 days and a fine worth £1,264. Wallis, who pleaded guilty to leaving the messages at a hearing in June, initially denied the charges, but changed her plea when allegations of having driven by her ex-wife's home were removed from the charge.
