Abusive phone call slams councillor’s anti-BNP stance

A councillor was the victim of an abusive phone call which slammed her for criticising the British National Party. Mary Irwin, Labour councillor for Central ward, was sworn at in the anonymous phone call. Councillor Irwin said: “He used a lot of bad language. He called me an f***ing commie bitch and ended up by saying ‘you have been having a go at the BNP for a lot of years’.”

When Cllr Irwin tried to trace the call, she found it had been made from a call box in Leicestershire. Cllr Irwin, of Eamont Close, said she felt shaken after the call, but is determined not to be intimidated. She said: “I’m not going to let it get to me. I won’t be going ex-directory. As a councillor people need to be able to get in touch with me.”

In the past Cllr Irwin has spoken out against the British National Party, and she told the Evening Mail last year: “They’re a racist party. I am totally against racism of any kind.”

BNP election candidate for Barrow, Mike Ashburner, denied that the call had anything to do with his party. He said: “That’s absolutely nothing to do with the BNP. That’s probably one of our opponents trying to cause trouble. We don’t do that and we stamp down on that sort of thing.”

Cllr Irwin has informed the police of the call, but has been told there is little they can do as it was from a call box and outside the area.

Sergeant Keith Healey, of Barrow police, said: “It is an offence to make a malicious or abusive phone call. It is difficult in these cases where it is a one-off event, but if the caller can be identified then positive action would be taken.”

North-West Evening Mail

[Oddly enough, we had a call too - probably from the same callbox in Hinckley (01455 209206) at 1646 on July 24th. Probably the same moron.]