A 52-year-old Ipswich man will be sentenced next month under a new act after admitting to making death threats reportedly about the Mayor of London. 

But what is the Online Safety Act 2023?  

Christopher Massey, of Cecil Road, appeared at Suffolk Magistrates' Court in Ipswich on Monday charged with two counts of sending communication threatening death or serious harm. 

The two calls were made to the Suffolk police control room on Saturday, February 24. 

He pleaded guilty to both counts of the offence, which fall under the Online Safety Act 2023. 

The London Evening Standard reported the threats were made towards Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London.

The act passed on 26 October last year was primarily made to regulate online speech and media.

Under the act tech companies are required to protect users from harmful content.

The act is based on three fundamental duties: protecting children; shielding the public from illegal content; and helping adult users avoid harmful – but not illegal – content on the biggest platforms.

In addition to this, under Part 10 of the act is a section on threatening communications offences.

This part of the Online Communication Act came into effect at the end of January this year.

It is broken down into five types of offences, false communication, threatening communication, sensing or showing flashing images and encouraging or assisting serious self-harm.

Each type of offence carries different sentence lengths. 

Communications containing threats of death or serious harm, either recklessly or deliberately sent to cause the reader fear can carry a maximum of 5 years’ imprisonment and a fine.

The threats against Mr Khan come after Conservative MP Lee Anderson suggested Mr Khan had "given our capital city away to his mates" and was controlled by "Islamists". 

The former chairman of the party, who is also a presenter on GB News, has since been suspended for the remarks. 

Massey has been released on conditional bail until Thursday, March 21.

Under his bail conditions, Massey has been ordered not to call 999 other than in a genuine emergency.