Man found guilty of harassing MP Stella Creasy on London Tube

A 63-year-old east London man has been found guilty of harassing Labour MP Stella Creasy after an incident on a Victoria line Tube train in July 2025. Clifford Wilby prevented Creasy from leaving the carriage and subjected her to aggressive verbal abuse about her parliamentary record, Westminster Magistrates' Court heard.

The incident

On 15 July 2025, Creasy boarded a Victoria line train between Walthamstow Central and Finsbury Park — a journey through her own constituency. She made eye contact with Wilby and recognised him from a previous encounter. He approached her and began speaking about knife crime and what he described as her failures as a Member of Parliament. When she attempted to exit the carriage at a station, he blocked her path, preventing her from leaving.

Westminster Magistrates' Court was told that Wilby also revealed he had been diagnosed with a psychiatric condition during the encounter. Creasy had first met Wilby during a Zoom call in 2024 as part of her constituency work; the meeting was stopped because of his behaviour.

The verdict

Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram found Wilby guilty of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause harassment, alarm or distress. Wilby denied the charge, but the court accepted Creasy's account of events.

Political context

The case highlights the harassment and intimidation faced by elected officials in their day-to-day lives. Stella Creasy has previously spoken publicly about abuse and threats directed at her and other MPs. The safety of elected representatives in public spaces has become a recurring concern in British political life since the murder of Jo Cox in 2016.