Controversial self-styled Sheikh, 81, nicknamed ‘Goldfinger’ is cleared of knife charge after explaining it was for fishing at his own personal lake – and blade is for filleting
Sheikh Abid Gulzar, an 81-year-old businessman nicknamed "Goldfinger" and known for owning the piers at Hastings and Eastbourne, has been cleared of a knife possession charge after convincing a court he was carrying it for fishing purposes. He was stopped by police in May 2025 while driving to his own private lake, and officers found an eight-inch knife in his van's glove compartment while searching for his medication. Although he was arrested and charged with possessing a fishing knife with a blade over three inches long, he successfully argued in court that he had a legitimate reason for carrying it.
At Brighton Magistrates Court, District Judge Amanda Kelly accepted Gulzar's explanation that the knife was used for filleting fish and cutting weeds while fishing at his lake in Pevensey, and that fishing tackle including nets and chairs were found in the rear of his van. She found him not guilty of possessing a bladed article in public after a 90-minute trial, though she warned him against repeating the offence. Gulzar, an Indian-born hotelier, is a divisive figure on the south coast, having sparked controversy over pier alterations, a proposed entry fee and ban on dogs and cycling, and reports he earned around £60,000 a month housing migrants at one of his hotels.
- "Goldfinger" Sheikh, 81, cleared of knife possession charge in court
- Judge accepted knife was for fishing, filleting at his private lake
- Gulzar is a controversial pier owner known for gold-themed alterations
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Sheikh Abid Gulzar is an 81-year-old, Indian-born hotelier and businessman known locally as "Goldfinger". He owns several properties along the south coast of England, including the piers at Hastings and Eastbourne, and has become a well-known and sometimes contentious figure in the area because of decisions he has made about these sites.
He was stopped by police in May 2025 while driving to a private lake he owns near Pevensey, in East Sussex, and officers found a knife in his van. He was subsequently charged with possessing a bladed article in a public place, an offence that applies to knives with blades longer than three inches unless the person can show a valid reason for carrying one, such as work or a specific lawful activity.
Gulzar's case went before magistrates in Brighton, where the central question was whether he had a legitimate reason for having the knife with him. Beyond the court case itself, he is a recognisable and divisive figure on the south coast, having previously attracted attention and criticism over his management of the piers he owns and his wider business interests.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters of the verdict would argue that the law rightly allows for a reasonable excuse defence, and that this case shows the system working exactly as intended: officers found fishing tackle, nets and chairs in the van, and the judge, having heard the evidence over a 90-minute trial, was satisfied the explanation was genuine. They would say it would be a grave injustice to criminalise an elderly man for carrying a tool he plainly used for a lawful hobby simply because he is a controversial or wealthy public figure, and that courts must judge each case on its facts rather than on a defendant's reputation.
The case against
Others would argue that, at a time of intense public concern about knife-related violence in Britain, courts should apply the reasonable excuse defence narrowly, and that an eight-inch blade found in a glove compartment during a stop for medication is not self-evidently benign. They might worry that well-resourced or well-known defendants find it easier to construct a persuasive account in court than an ordinary person would, feeding a perception of unequal treatment before the law, and that the judge's warning against repeating the offence suggests even she saw the case as finely balanced rather than clear-cut.