Challah at a bakery (illustrative)
Challah at a bakery (illustrative)iStock

A former celebrity photographer who once took photos of stars such as Rod Stewart, Barry Manilow and David Bowie has been found guilty of harassing a well known family of Jewish baker in London, England, The Daily Mail reported.

The harassment included sending the Rinkoff family a campaign of letters and emails containing “abusive language.”

During police questioning, Leon Paul Lecash, 70, a photographer turned film producer, denied the allegations, telling police that the letters and emails were part of a documentary he was doing on the family that was to be called “Bagels and Cyanide” and an autobiography he was writing titled “John Lennon Made Me Toast.”

Rinkoff's is a well known family-owned bakery in the East End of London. It was begun in 1911 by Herman Rinkoff, a Jewish immigrant from Ukraine.

Lecash, who claimed that he was exercising his right to “freedom of expression” under Article 10 of the UK Human Rights Act, was found guilty of six counts of harassment.

The judge said that Lecash orchestrated a “campaign of revenge” against the Rinkoffs in sending them the volley of abusive emails.

Lecash photographed numerous well known album covers in the 1980s, including albums for Rod Stewart, Barry Manilow, Jermaine Jackson and Pat Benatar.

He subsequently became a film and TV producer.