A sleepy village “will never be the same again” after residents started receiving anonymous letters containing insults and hate.
Shiptonthorpe, situated in the East Riding of Yorkshire, has been “terrorised” by the letters for two years with residents baffled as to who the perpetrator is.
Detectives are aware but so far the anonymous writer has not been found, and the letters remain a major topic of intrigue in the local Facebook group.
One letter said: “everyone agrees you should rot in hell” while another was told: “I hope cancer finds you very soon.”
The letters have been posted anonymously (file pic)
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The parish council chair, Victor Lambert, told The Guardian said he had received letters, one of which hoped he would be “run over by a bus on the A1079.”
One man wrote on social media: “I too have received a nasty letter recently which was disgusting. It was reported to the police. At some point the police might actually find out who is behind the hatred in Shiptonthorpe and thinks they have the right to decide who lives in the village.”
Ward councillor for the village for East Riding council, Leo Hammond added he had received letters accusing him of being secretly gay. He said “me and my girlfriend find [that] quite funny.
“I think somebody has felt empowered by the fact that no one’s found out who sent the other letters, and now they felt that they could start sending really nasty letters…I’m pretty confident I know who’s sending mine, but sadly I can’t prove it.”
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Former councillor and local resident Katy Wrathall has also received a number of horrible letters, including one about climate change after her house flooded.
It read: “Hoping and praying for rain lots of it. Climate change and Yorkshire weather will deliver lots of rain so your house can be flooded again and again. Most people in Shiptonthorpe want rain and floods so you are washed away never to be seen again….it is you the witch that the village dislikes just keep raining.”
Another letter said: “You are an ugly old fat cow who nobody likes most find you revolting. Everyone agrees you should rot in hell. You use up oxygen better used by decent people. Kids are frightened when they see you.”
The case has similarities to the anonymous poison pen letters were sent out in Littlehampton in Sussex in the 1920s. The story inspired Wicked Little Letters, the foul-mouthed film starring Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley.
Olivia Colman, Anjana Vasan, Thea Sharrock and Jessie Buckley attend the European premiere of Wicked Little Letters
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One resident called Jason told the BBC that the letters had had a toxic effect on the small community: “It is a wonderful village with wonderful people, but someone has brought poison to this village. In my opinion I believe this constitutes a hate crime.”
A spokesperson for Humberside Police said: “Inquiries were carried out at the time, including reviewing CCTV.
“However, the content of the alleged letter was unavailable, and subsequently no further investigative opportunities were able to be obtained.”