John Hoath, 75, jailed over Sussex PCC menacing email

Katy Bourne gave evidence via video link

A pensioner who sent a menacing email to Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Katy Bourne, causing her "sleepless nights", has been jailed.

John Hoath, 75, from Lewes, in East Sussex, accused force officials of helping people to evade justice.

He also threatened to carry out a citizen's arrest on those he contacted if they did not surrender to him.

He was jailed for eight weeks at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court after being found guilty in February.

His email was sent to Ms Bourne, two of the force's solicitors and its professional standards department on 9 July last year.

Hoath, of Caburn Crescent, denied he had intended any malice, but was convicted of sending an electronic message of a menacing character.

Magistrates also gave him a restraining order preventing him from contacting Ms Bourne or force solicitor Gillian Jones by any means until 22 July 2025.

Prosecutor Amanda McCae told the court Hoath had been involved in a dispute with Sussex Police over a "number of years" after a conviction led to his firearms being removed.

She said Hoath claimed officers were "complicit in handing over his firearms to his co-defendants".

"Bullied" online

During his trial, Ms Bourne said Hoath had turned up to her office 22 times and sent her up to 150 pieces of correspondence.

She said Hoath's actions gave her "sleepless nights" and forced her to install extra security at her home.

Ms Jones said she had also suffered emotionally and professionally after being targeted, and felt unable to do her job "without fear, intimidation or protection".

In her victim impact statement, Ms Jones told the court she had been "bullied" online and called names including "bitch" and "prostitute" which have caused her "a great deal of upset and fear".

Speaking before Hoath's sentencing, Ms Bourne said his actions were "malicious and relentless, and completely obsessive and fixated".

She said Ms Jones "became a victim because I engaged her services as a solicitor," adding: "I feel very responsible."

The court heard that Hoath was given a suspended 12-month prison sentence in 2012 for possession of a firearm and ammunition without a certificate.

Shelly Burroughs, defending, said he believed the case was not "investigated correctly" and he had "used the avenues open to him" to dispute it.