A 63-year-old man from east London has been found guilty of harassing the Labour MP for Walthamstow, Stella Creasy, following an incident on a Victoria line train last year. Clifford Wilby was convicted after he prevented Ms Creasy from leaving a Tube carriage and behaved in an "abusive and aggressive" manner.
Westminster Magistrates' Court heard how Mr Wilby targeted Ms Creasy on 15 July last year, on a journey between Walthamstow Central and Finsbury Park. During the incident, Mr Wilby spoke to the MP about knife crime and what he described as her "failings as a Member of Parliament" before beginning to film her. Members of the public intervened due to his conduct.
Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram found Mr Wilby guilty of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
The court was informed that Mr Wilby and Ms Creasy had first encountered each other during a Zoom meeting in 2024, held as part of Ms Creasy's responsibilities as an MP. Ms Creasy told the court that Mr Wilby initiated a complaint concerning a constituent, at which point she reminded him that she could not discuss another person's case.
Ms Creasy further stated that during this online meeting, Mr Wilby "made a series of very serious allegations," became abusive, and "referred to the fact he had been diagnosed as a psychopath." The Zoom meeting was subsequently terminated due to Mr Wilby's behaviour.
Recounting the Tube incident on 15 July, Ms Creasy told the court that she made eye contact with Mr Wilby on the Victoria line train. She stated: "He stood up and blocked my ability to leave the carriage. He began talking to me about his concerns about my constituent. He was shouting, although the Tube train is a loud environment."
The Labour MP expressed her concern during the encounter, adding: "Obviously I was concerned that I was in an enclosed space with him. He was very close. I stated very clearly this wasn't an appropriate conversation to be having." Ms Creasy described being backed against the carriage doors, holding her hands out in a gesture "to say stop."
The situation prompted intervention from other passengers. One man positioned himself between Ms Creasy and Mr Wilby. Ms Creasy told the court: "I was worried that because Mr Wilby was escalating, he could turn his attention and his aggression to the other people on the train trying to protect me."
A woman also spoke to Mr Wilby, instructing him to cease his behaviour and informing him that his actions amounted to harassment. She encouraged Ms Creasy to sit next to her. Ms Creasy ultimately managed to leave the train at Finsbury Park through a different set of doors, believing that other passengers had successfully distracted Mr Wilby.
In his defence, Mr Wilby told the court he had hoped to continue their previous conversation about the constituent on the Tube. However, he claimed that Ms Creasy "became quite agitated" and that he was "quite shocked by her reaction." He asserted that he started recording the interaction on his phone "for my safety."
Mr Wilby denied standing in front of Ms Creasy and claimed she had spoken to him first. He also denied telling her in the 2024 Zoom meeting that he had been diagnosed as a psychopath.
In delivering his verdict, Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram referred to footage presented in court, in which Mr Wilby was heard saying: "I don't care about your feelings, your feelings don't matter to me."
The Deputy Chief Magistrate noted Ms Creasy's testimony, stating: "She made her own position very clear. She said that 'I repeatedly asked him to stop, he didn't, he was abusive and aggressive' and it's clear from the defendant's own words he did not care."
Regarding the intervention of the public, Deputy Chief Magistrate Ikram concluded: "In relation to the conduct of the two members of the public who intervened, the situation must have been such that there was concern for her safety, otherwise they would clearly not have intervened as they did."
