Sheikh Abid Gulzar, the 80-year-old owner of Hastings pier, will face trial by jury in Lewes Crown Court in September 2026 on ten charges of fraud. He and his business partner Manasdeep Singh are alleged to have defrauded Castle Water Limited, an independent water re-tail business, of sums to the total value of around £150,000.
The private prosecution is being brought by the water company and relates in part to supply of water to the Boship Lions Hotel in Hailsham, used in 2022-23 for accommodating asylum seekers.
The 2026 trial date was set earlier this month, scheduling a three-
week hearing. The two defendants denied all the charges when first appearing at Brighton Magistrates Court in July.
In the meantime, The HPier Limited, the former operator of Hastings pier under a lease granted by Gulzar from early 2023 onwards, has been wound up in the High Court following a creditor's petition brought by Hastings Borough Council.
Council officers have declined to provide any information as to the size of the debt or how it was incurred, but it seems likely to represent arrears of business rates.
The previous operator, Lions Hastings Pier Limited, of which Gulzar himself was sole director and shareholder, was put into liquidation in 2023, owing the Borough Council £31,346.
I may have mentioned this before, but a little bit of due diligence never goes astray!
