Former editor Greg Hadfield denies sending an offensive tweet to Fiona Sharpe. He faces trial in June.
The charge involves his X post. X used to be Twitter. It had a screenshot of a pornographic image. Ivor Caplin, an ex-MP, tweeted it originally. Hadfield’s post tagged @FionaSharpe.
Hadfield appeared in court in Brighton. He pleaded not guilty to the charge. He said he didn’t send that tweet to anyone. He doesn’t understand the complainant.
He mentioned prior harassment allegations. Fiona Sharpe made those allegations. The prosecution didn’t pursue those earlier charges. Suzanne Soros is the prosecutor. She wants Sharpe to testify via videolink. Sharpe is very anxious about testifying.
Sharpe doesn’t want to testify in the same courtroom. Hadfield is representing himself now. His solicitor is currently on vacation. He has lawyers overall, though. He plans to hire a KC for his trial.
The judge, Tessa Szagun, gave Hadfield advice. If his lawyer isn’t available, he should contact the court. The court can then assign a duty solicitor. This solicitor can question Ms. Sharpe.
The judge granted the prosecution’s bail conditions. Hadfield cannot mention Fiona Sharpe directly. Indirect contact is banned too. He also cannot tag or mention her family online.