A transgender former Labour candidate has sparked outrage by saying they hoped murdered politician Ann Widdecombe 'screamed in agony' before her death, exposing the hateful nature of the Left, according to Express columnist Paul Baldwin.
Heather Herbert's vile comments
Heather Herbert, a former Labour candidate for Aberdeen Donside, posted online: 'Some good news for once. I hope it was an extremely painful death,' adding: 'I hope she was handcuffed to the bed as she screamed in agony.'
Herbert, a web developer at Aberdeen University, later doubled down, saying: 'I'm glad she's dead.' The university's Principal and Vice Chancellor Professor Peter Edwards said the comments were being investigated 'as a priority' under a zero-tolerance policy towards violence or hateful behaviour.
Police decline to act
Despite the apparent hate speech, Police Scotland said: 'We have received reports relating to a post made online. The information has been assessed and no criminality has been established.' This contrasts with the arrest of Lucy Connolly for alleged hate speech against migrants, Baldwin noted.
Herbert told student newspaper The Gaudie: 'I'm not a hypocrite. I posted that before the murder investigation was launched. I'm a nobody. I have no power to do anything. Ann Widdecombe was able to and made the lives of ordinary people hell.'
Baldwin's condemnation
Baldwin wrote: 'Heather Herbert – trans and a former Labour Party candidate for Aberdeen Donside – is a disgusting, appalling human being.' He argued that Widdecombe's views on LGBT issues, informed by her Catholic faith, were honestly held, while Herbert's comments celebrated a brutal murder.
'Just how did Ann Widdecombe make your life Hell? Her offensive paso doble on Strictly?' Baldwin asked, criticising the 'institutional victimhood' of the Left. He noted that even Peter Tatchell initially attacked Widdecombe but later apologised.
Widdecombe's legacy
Baldwin concluded: 'In recent years she had been 50% politician, 50% journalist but always 100% democrat and always 100% kind.' He urged the Left to 'look in the mirror and see if they can say the same.'
