A businessman who received a string of abusive emails has finally met the intended recipient - a gangster who shares his name.

David Courtney from Brighton came nose-to-nose with his celebrity gangster namesake, who prefers to be called Dave.

The bizarre meeting meant David could finally quiz Dave about the emails.

David said: "I had been watching a documentary on Dave and he explained he had fallen out with one of his associates.

"All of a sudden, I started getting threatening emails.

"At first I thought someone was after me until I realised it was Dave they wanted.

"One said that I had better watch out, otherwise I would have my legs removed."

There have been more cases of mistaken identity.

David said: "If people don't know me, they put two and two together and get five.

"I went to meet the bank manager for lunch and he must have just recently seen Dave on television.

"He was very nervous and said immediately: 'How much do you want?' He didn't want to say no.

"It was only when I came back from Australia in the early Nineties that people began to mistake me for Dave. I had already met a fellow David Courtney in America.

"He is one of the most famous tabla players and percussionists in the whole of the US."

The men were introduced by David's daughter Indiana, who met up with Dave when she was doing club promotion work in London.

Gangster Dave, nicknamed Dodgy Dave, from Plumstead, south London, was jailed in the early Eighties after a knife attack.

He has recently been signing his book in Eastbourne and Worthing.

He is currently touring the country with his show An Audience With Dave Courtney and will be in the Sussex area in October, retelling stories of the criminal underworld.

Businessman David is setting up Brighton's Walk of Fame and is at the forefront of a plan to build a monorail from the Marina to Palace Pier.

He has also been in showbiz for more than 30 years and produced all of Leo Sayer's hits.

Dave, author of Stop The Ride I Want To Get Off and reputedly the inspiration behind Vinnie Jones's character in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, said: "I can't believe I have finally met David.

"He is a bit of a legend in showbiz circles. I think we're going to get along fine."