A man who threatened to burn Devon and Cornwall’s Police and Crime Commissioner alive has been jailed for 18 months after sending hundreds of abusive and threatening emails. Paul Hughes, 55, was sentenced at Truro Crown Court after admitting sending a threatening communication and breaching a restraining order relating to a school in Plymouth. The court heard Hughes sent around 300 emails between March and July 2024, with the messages becoming increasingly abusive and threatening over time. Among those targeted was Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez, whose office received an email in which Hughes threatened to “burn her alive in her office.” The court was told staff working for the commissioner feared for her safety, particularly as Hughes had demonstrated a deep hostility towards the police and the government. As well as contacting Ms Hernandez, Hughes also sent emails to the NHS, his local MP and a number of other organisations, raising claims that the Covid-19 pandemic had been mismanaged and alleging vaccines were causing more harm than good. Sentencing Hughes, Judge Simon Carr acknowledged that members of the public are entitled to express their opinions. However, he said that right did not extend to sending aggressive and threatening communications to people serving in public office. In addition to the 18-month prison sentence, the judge imposed a five-year restraining order, prohibiting Hughes from contacting Alison Hernandez. The order is designed to protect the Police and Crime Commissioner from any further unwanted contact following the threatening campaign.
