Man admits sending 'We're after you' note to ex-PM

A man from Clacton-on-sea has pleaded guilty to sending former prime minister Rishi Sunak a letter with a racial slur

A man has pleaded guilty to sending an offensive letter to former prime minister Rishi Sunak.

Westminster Magistrates' Court heard the message from Stephen Burke, who lives in Clacton in Essex, included racial slurs and warned Mr Sunak's family to "watch your backs".

The letter, sent on 11 November 2022, also said: "We're after you" and "We've had enough".

Burke admitted a charge under the Malicious Communications Act 1988 and will be sentenced in October.

According to the charge, Burke, who is 67, 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".

Sundeep Pankhania, defending, said Burke wrote the letter while "in drink" and it was never read by Mr Sunak because 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," he added.

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."