Norfolk medical fraudster threatened to firebomb Aviva

Gary Lanchester, 36, has been jailed for 22 months for sending numerous threatening emails to his doctor and insurance staff when they refused to pay out or prescribe him drugs.

Norwich Crown Court, sitting in King's Lynn, heard how he had submitted several fake prescription claims and attempted to withdraw funds from his pension with Aviva by submitting a bogus ill-health form purporting to come from his doctor.

Gary Lanchester submitted several fake prescription claims to try to claim on an ill health insurance policy (Image: Norfolk Constabulary)

When these were spotted he sent multiple threatening emails to staff at Aviva saying he planned to “stab their security” and “petrol bomb their building”.

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Previously Lanchester, of Herries Close, Great Yarmouth, had faked letters authorising the surgery to prescribe changes to his medication.

After these were identified as fraudulent he had numerous appointments with his doctor but was discharged from the service for over-medicating against advice.

He then bombarded his doctor with racial, threatening and abusive emails.

He also made threats towards another doctor containing numerous offensive, threatening and racist remarks which went on for a period of time starting in August 2023.

PC Jodie Jennings, who led the police investigation, said: “Lanchester was horribly abusive and made vile threats of violence using the worst kind of racist language towards people who were just going about their day to day work and trying to help.”

Emails to Aviva staff included threats to stab security and petrol bomb their building in Norwich (Image: Google)

Lanchester admitted to two counts of fraud, one of racially aggravated harassment and three of malicious communications.

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While in prison on remand he asked for 11 other offences to be taken into consideration by the court having been investigated further by Operation Converter, the unit which investigates and encourages defendants to admit to other similar offences they had committed but not been charged with..

These took place between February 2019 and November 2023 and included malicious communications involving a council employee, a dental practice, and an NHS Outreach Centre – all in response to not having his demands met.

He also admitted to damaging cars belonging to surgery staff on several occasions.