Builder raises alarm over email death threat

A director of a Bristol-based building firm has warned internet surfers to be on the look-out after he received a death threat via email.

Buildtec Bristol boss Andrew Sawyer recognised the email, which claimed he would be killed by an assassin unless he paid thousands of dollars, as a fake.

But cautioned that other vulnerable or elderly internet users could be alarmed by the message.

Sawyer reported the email to police. It demanded an initial payment of $1,500 to spare his life temporarily, and a further $2,000 to stop the assassination, according to the Bristol Evening Post.