Victoria Thomas Bowen avoids jail after throwing milkshake at Nigel Farage in Clacton during election campaign
A woman has avoided jail after throwing a milkshake at Nigel Farage during his general election campaign in Clacton-on-Sea.
Victoria Thomas Bowen, 25, was sentenced to 13 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months.
She hurled the drink at the Reform UK MP, 60, as he left the Moon and Starfish Wetherspoon pub in the Essex town on 4 June.
She pleaded guilty to assault by beating and criminal damage at Westminster Magistrates Court on 21 October, where deputy senior district judge Tan Ikram also handed down her sentence on Monday.
Thomas Bowen, who is an OnlyFans model, was arrested shortly after the incident. She told police she saw a post online advertising Mr Farage’s rally in her hometown that day, the court heard previously.
She told officers she “does not agree with his political views” and when she saw him leaving the pub, decided to act because she “had the opportunity”.
The criminal damage to the jacket Mr Farage’s security officer James Woolfenden was wearing amounted to £17.50, the court was told.
Thomas Bowen was ordered to pay Mr Woolfenden the £17.50 compensation, as well as £154 in a victim surcharge to Mr Farage and £450 in costs.
She will also have to complete 12 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 120 hours of unpaid work.
Bowen throws a milkshake over Nigel Farage in Clacton-on-Sea.
Pic: EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
In a statement after the sentencing hearing, Thomas Bowen said she has received “multiple threats” since the incident.
Speaking on her behalf, Caroline Liggins, criminal defence lawyer at Hodge Jones & Allen, said: “Our client entered a guilty plea because she understands the gravity of the situation in which her impulsive decision has placed her.
“We are relieved the court has taken a sensible approach in dealing with this young woman by handing down a suspended sentence.
“She has suffered multiple threats since this happened, which have had a serious impact on her mental health.
“Victoria understands the impact of her actions and wishes to put the whole episode behind her. She hopes others can do the same.”
Victoria Thomas Bowen leaves court after being sentenced on Monday. Pic: PA
Farage ‘felt humiliated’
In a victim impact statement read out in court, Mr Farage said he “felt humiliated” by the incident as it was “broadcast on national and international media”.
He added that he was “deeply thoughtful for some time afterwards that next time it may not be a milkshake” and said the incident is part of “a growing security concern”.
“I’m saddened that this has happened at a public campaign,” he added.
Mr Farage, who is now the leader of his party, went on to win the Clacton-on-Sea seat from the Conservative incumbent Giles Watling.
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The European Union is considering a partial halt to its landmark artificial intelligence laws in response to pressure from the US government and Big Tech companies.
The European Commission plans to ease part of its digital rulebook, including the AI Act that took effect last year, as part of a “simplification package” that is to be decided on Nov. 19, the Financial Times reported on Friday.
If approved, the proposed halt could allow generative AI providers currently operating in the market a one-year compliance grace period and delay enforcement of fines for violations of AI transparency rules until August 2027.
“When it comes to potentially delaying the implementation of targeted parts of the AI Act, a reflection is still ongoing,” the commission’s Thomas Regnier told Cointelegraph, adding that the EC is working on the digital omnibus to present it on Nov. 19.
EU’s AI Act entered into force in August 2024
The commission proposed the first EU AI law in April 2021, with the mission of establishing a risk-based AI classification system.
Passed by the European Parliament and the European Council in 2023, the European AI Act entered into force in August 2024, with provisions expected to be implemented gradually over the next six to 36 months.
According to the FT, a bulk of the provisions for high-risk AI systems, which can pose “serious risks” to health, safety or citizens’ fundamental rights, are set to come into effect in August 2026.
With the draft “simplification” proposal, companies breaching the rules on the highest-risk AI use could reportedly receive a “grace period” of one year.
Related: EU mulls SEC-like oversight for stock, crypto exchanges to bolster startup landscape
The proposal is still subject to informal discussions within the commission and with EU states and could still change ahead of its adoption on Nov. 19, the report noted.
“Various options are being considered, but no formal decision has been taken at this stage,” the EC’s Regnier told Cointelegraph, adding: “The commission will always remain fully behind the AI Act and its objectives.”
“AI is an incredibly disruptive technology, the full implications of which we are still only just beginning to fully appreciate,” Mercuryo co-founder and CEO Petr Kozyakov said, adding:
“Ultimately, Europe’s competitiveness will depend on its ability to set high standards without creating barriers that may risk letting innovation take place elsewhere.”
The EU’s potential suspension of parts of the AI Act underscores Brussels’ evolving approach to digital regulation amid intensifying global competition from the US and China.
After the US explicitly banned central bank digital currency (CBDC) development in early 2025, the European Central Bank accelerated work on the digital euro but later said that digital cash would not launch before 2029.
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