A man who hung a flag from York’s medieval walls which displayed an abusive message towards Labour MP Rachael Maskell has received a suspended sentence.
Lee Moran, 55, of York, put up a St George’s Cross near Walmgate Bar with the writing: “This one’s for you, Maskill” [sic] on 16 September last year.
Moran was sentenced at York Magistrates Court for one offence under the Communications Act and two public order offences after being convicted of all three following a trial.
Maskell, who had previously called for other St George’s Cross flags to be removed from lampposts around the city, said the incident caused her to feel “distressed with the threat of being a target in political violence”.
During the hearing, the court heard “Maskill” was a deliberate misspelling of the MP’s name, and Moran claimed he was suggesting the MP was a “kill joy” or a “buzzkill”.
Prosecutor Verity Barnes told the court he had put up the flag during Operation Raise the Colours, which had spread across towns and cities in England over the course of summer 2025.
York Central MP Maskell was vocal about calling for flags to be removed from lampposts in the city, saying in a statement read out at Moran’s trial that they had caused division in communities.
