Skip to content

Man denies stalking Home Office minister

PA A man with a bald head and no teeth is mid-conversation as he walks down a stairway outside a court. He is wearing a navy blazer, a white shirt, a red, navy and white tie, and a black crossbody bag. He is holding a vape.PA
Lee Owens has denied charges of stalking and harrassment towards Jess Phillips

A man has denied stalking a Home Office minister, to whom he allegedly sent a series of threatening and aggressive emails.

Lee Owens, 47, will now face trial after denying the charge at Cheltenham Magistrates' Court, having previously denied a charge of harassment towards Jess Phillips, the minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls.

Owens, from Matson in Gloucester, is charged with harassing Phillips by sending her 31 emails between 22 and 25 January 2025.

He was granted bail under the condition he does not contact the Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, and is due to appear at Gloucester Crown Court on May 19 for a case management hearing.

PA A woman in her 40s with a light brown bob smiles as she stands against a grey background in an official Parliament portrait. She is wearing a camel coloured coat and black top with an orange collar.PA
Jess Phillips is also minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls

Owens is also accused of sending an excessive volume of aggressive and threatening emails between 10 and 14 July 2025, which caused Phillips serious alarm or distress, amounting to stalking.

Addressing Owens, District Judge Nicholas Wattam said: "There are two criminal charges and you've told me that you're not guilty.

"I'm sending your case to the crown court now."

Phillips has been a Labour MP since 2015.

Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.

Related internet links
Trending Now