Clacton man admits telling Rishi Sunak 'watch your back' in offensive letter

A man who told former prime minister Rishi Sunak and his family "watch your backs" has admitted sending an offensive letter.

Stephen Burke, from Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, sent the letter on 11 November 2022 and in it called the then-prime minister a racial slur, Westminster Magistrates' Court heard on Monday.

The 67-year-old admitted the charge contrary to Section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act 1988.

According to the charge, Burke sent a letter “which conveyed a message which was indecent or grossly offensive for the purpose of causing distress or anxiety to the recipient or to any other person to whom you intended that it or its contents or nature should be communicated”.

The court heard Burke called Mr Sunak and his wife racial slurs in the letter and said his family “better watch your backs”.

“We’re after you,” he added. “We’ve had enough.”

Sundeep Pankhania, defending, said Burke wrote the letter while drunk and that it was never read by Mr Sunak after it was intercepted by a security officer.

“(Burke) was clouded by the severe depression that he was suffering at the time,” Mr Pankhania told the court.

“(The letter) could have caused substantial distress… but certainly didn’t cause any major disruption.”

The chief magistrate, district judge Paul Goldspring, said sending a letter was more serious than sending an email in a “momentary lapse of stupidity”.

He granted Burke unconditional bail and adjourned sentencing to 15 October at the same court so that reports could be drawn up.

The judge told Burke: “I am not ruling out the possibility of a custodial sentence although that is not necessarily at the forefront of my mind.”

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