Gulzar Acquitted of Knife Crime
Sheikh Gulzar, owner of Hastings pier, emerged triumphant from a hearing before Brighton Magistrates last week after being cleared of unlawful possession of an eight-inch knife blade.
The 80-year-old had been stopped by a police patrol when driving a Ford van in the early hours of a Sunday morning in May 2025. He told officers that he needed medication, which was in the glove compartment of the vehicle. When the police searched for it there, they found the knife.
In an interview at the police station Gulzar explained that he had been fishing in his private lake at Pevensey that morning, and that the knife was used for cutting up fish. The van contained net poles, folding chairs and other equipment for his fishing expeditions.
He was charged with possessing a bladed article in a public place. But 16 months on, he was acquitted. District Judge Amanda Kelly told him: “I am just about persuaded that at the time you had a good reason for having that knife in your car.”
Gulzar faces another court trial in November, this time in Lewes Crown Court, on unrelated fraud charges in a private prosecution brought by water supplier Castle Water Limited.
He indicated last year that he was inviting bids for purchase of Hastings pier. However, the asset has been frozen as security by the court pending the trial.
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