Leyton News

Leyton pensioner jailed for sending abuse to Lord Sugar

He sent three anti-Semitic letters to one of Lord Sugar’s businesses
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Alan Sugar and (inset) Patrick Gomes, from Leyton (credit: Essex Police/Wikimedia)
Alan Sugar and (inset) Patrick Gomes, from Leyton (credit: Essex Police/Wikimedia)

A Leyton 70-year-old who sent anti-Semitic letters to Lord Alan Sugar has been sentenced to three years and six months in jail.

In 2018, Patrick Gomes, of Lyttelton Road, sent three abusive and threatening letters to a business address owned by Lord Sugar in Loughton.

Police found Gomes’ DNA and fingerprints on one of the letters, as well as further unsent letters in his home. He had also written the business address in his address book.

On 1st December, Gomes was found guilty at Chelmsford Crown Court of religiously aggravated harassment and was sentenced at the same court on 16th February.

Investigating officer PC Marc Arnold said: “Throughout the investigation and despite all of the evidence against him, Gomes has denied his involvement.

“At no point has he shown remorse for his actions and I’m glad that he’s now been made to answer for his crimes.”

Following Gomes’s conviction in December, Lord Sugar expressed his “sincere thanks” to the police, adding he was initially reluctant to report it “as they are already stretched and have enough on their plates dealing with serious crime”.

He said: “I would like to thank them sincerely for helping to shine a light on the fact that this type of behaviour is simply not acceptable and that racism or any form of discrimination is simply not acceptable.”


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