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Two people have pleaded guilty to sending "menacing" tweets to feminist campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez.

Isabella Sorley, 23, of Newcastle, and John Nimmo, 25, of South Shields, admitted at Westminster Magistrates' Court sending the messages over a public communications network.

They will be sentenced on 24 January.

Journalist Ms Criado-Perez, 29, from Rutland, received abuse after her campaign for author Jane Austen to appear on the new £10 note succeeded.

Her campaign began after the Bank of England announced in April last year that social reformer Elizabeth Fry would be dropped from new £5 notes in favour of Winston Churchill, leaving no female presence on bank notes.

Sorley and Nimmo sent the tweets in July after the Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, said Jane Austen would replace Charles Darwin on the £10 note.

At the time, Ms Criado-Perez hailed the announcement as a "brilliant day for women".

Sorley and Nimmo pleaded guilty to sending by means of a public electronic communications network messages which were menacing in character, contrary to Section 127(1) (A) of the Communications Act 2003.

Sorley was remanded in custody and Nimmo was bailed, both until 24 January.

The Crown Prosecution Service had said earlier that the prosecution of a separate suspect who allegedly sent offensive messages to Stella Creasy, Labour MP for Walthamstow, over the same issue was not in the public interest.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25641941