Police probe fake racist letter

More than 200 copies of an extreme anti-Semitic letter falsely claiming to be from the warden of Lincoln Theological College have been sent to police by incensed recipients.

College warden Canon William Jacob said he was horrified when he read the text but heartened that virtually all the recipients shared his outrage and contacted the police.

It resembles another letter which surfaced in March, purporting to be from the head teacher of a North London preparatory school.

The letter praises St Hugh the Martyr, saying he was kidnapped and murdered by Jews in Lincoln in 1255, before going on to accuse two prominant public figures of "paedophilic deviancy". It alleges history has been corrupted by "Jewish sex-murderers" and concludes with a call to commemorate "all Christian martyrs murdered by Jews over the centuries". It also includes spectacular allegations about contemporary British politicians.

Canon Jacob said: "I cannot for the life of me think why I have been pilloried in this way. A vast range of people have received it, from pretty inarticulate people to the retired principal of St Hilda's College, Oxford."

He added: "Only one person has written to me saying 'splendid, what good ideas' - and I passed him on to the police as well. The impressive thing is the way middle England has risen up and said how disgusting it is, which is rather cheering."

A police spokesman said the letters were posted locally and it was the first case of its kind the force had investigated. "At this stage it does not appear to be targeted towards colleges or universities," he added.

Lincoln Theological College has recently had its recognition for ordination training withdrawn by the Church of England after a national decline in the number of candidates. It plans to become a research-based institution affiliated to one of the several universities trying to establish themselves in Lincolnshire.