Man Convicted of Stalking Former Education Secretary Sir Gavin Williamson

A man named Simon Parry, 45, has been found guilty of stalking former Education Secretary Sir Gavin Williamson. Parry, who is of no fixed address, had allegedly “persistently followed” Williamson on two occasions earlier this year, according to his trial at City of London Magistrates’ Court. The court heard that Parry spoke about arresting Williamson and even flashed what appeared to be a police warrant card. Parry was convicted of one count of stalking, while the charge of impersonating a police officer was dropped.

During the trial, it was revealed that the stalking incidents took place on May 24th and June 14th. Williamson testified that Parry had followed him along streets in Whitehall after he passed a protest area opposite Downing Street. In the first incident, Williamson heard Parry making comments about vaccinations while walking in close proximity to him, which made the former secretary feel threatened and uncomfortable. He described the incident as “aggressive” and “very unpleasant.”

In the second incident, which occurred in June, Parry directed further comments at Williamson about vaccinations and mentioned genocide. Despite feeling harassed, Williamson continued walking and spoke to a constituent on his phone. Parry persisted in following him towards Euston, and Williamson believed that Parry had even flashed a warrant card and mentioned arresting him. To ensure his safety, Williamson asked the constituent to stay on the line until Parry stopped following him.

The incidents left Williamson feeling “fretful” and “fearful” for his safety. He expressed concern about Parry’s aggressive behavior and the potential harm he could have caused. District Judge Tan Ikram, however, accepted the defense’s argument that there was no case to answer for the charge of impersonating a police officer.

The defendant, Parry, appeared in court accompanied by Piers Corbyn, the brother of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Parry is scheduled to be sentenced at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on November 16th. The former Education Secretary served as defense secretary before taking up the role of education secretary under Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2019.