A HAMPSHIRE General Election candidate has said she will only attend hustings events with security present to ensure she can 'go home alive'.

Caroline Nokes, a Conservative contesting the Romsey and Southampton North constituency, had a Home Office security guard present at a hustings organised by Christ Church Southampton at the Burgess Road Library on June 16.

The constituency has been represented by Ms Nokes for the Conservative Party since its 2010 creation. It was previously a smaller constituency called Romsey, represented by Sandra Gidley for the Lib Dems.

Southampton man Liam McCarthy was jailed on June 5 for seven months for sending threatening emails to Ms Nokes between May 15 2022 and March 4 2023.

A victim statement read at the sentencing on June 5 said: “I'm scared he will turn up at my home or office. I spend a great deal of time worrying about personal security. I'm vigilant of people approaching me in the street. I'm worried he will take violent action. I constantly look over my shoulder.”

The hustings event on June 16 (Image: Newsquest)

In her latest letter from the campaign, Ms Nokes said: “I was stunned to be criticised by a constituent for having Home Office security officers present at the last hustings. In case anyone missed it, there is currently an individual serving a prison sentence for harassing me, and he is just the tip of the iceberg. 

“This election I have had people (men) issue ultimatums to me that I have to withdraw my candidacy, “or else”, telling me to “watch my back” and a range of profanities that have no place in the Romsey Advertiser. 

“So no, I don’t like doing pre-advertised public events, yes, if I do them I will have “burly men” in attendance to make sure that I go home alive. What a state our democracy has come to when that looks like it is becoming the norm for female candidates.”

In a recent interview with BBC Radio Solent, she said: "Every day I receive hate emails and messages from people who despise me just because I am a woman or want to attack me because they disagree with me politically but they do so by making rape threats, by making weird allegations.

"It's going to be a weird election and I am sure there will be all sorts of very strange people behaving in very odd ways."

Ms Nokes first won the Romsey and Southampton North seat in 2010 and achieved a majority of 10,872 at the last General Election in 2019. 

The candidates standing for election on Juy 4 in alphabetical order, are: Reform UK, Paul Barrett; Liberal Democrat, Geoff Cooper; Labour, Christie Lambert; Conservative, Caroline Nokes; Green, Connor Shaw; and Independent, Fennie Yap.