Blackmail plot accused ‘left spiked baby food in Tesco’

A FARMER planted a jar of baby food containing metal shards on a shelf at Tesco after buying wine and flowers for his teacher wife, a court heard yesterday.

Nigel Wright, 45, is accused of trying to extort £1.4million in bitcoin from the supermarket by contaminating goods.

He admitted placing it on a shelf, but claimed he was forced into it by travellers who threatened to rape his wife and hang his children “from the trees”, the Old Bailey heard.

Suspicion

The father of two said he had been followed by a BMW on his way to the store in Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway.

Wright said he spent some £30 on goods at the store, including flowers for his primary school teacher wife and a bottle of wine for their evening meal.

Prosecutor Julian Christopher QC said CCTV showed him take two jars off the shelf and then take the jar he had come with from his pocket and put it in the trolley.

He added: “And then, as if changing your mind, put the jar back on the shelf. I’m suggesting you have plainly given quite a bit of thought to going about it without attracting suspicion.

“Did you give quite a bit of thought to that?”

Wright replied: “No. I was worried what this person following was going to do. The reason I put it on the shelf was because I thought these people might check.”

The discovery of the jar prompted Tesco to issue a national product recall and remove remaining stock.

Mr Christopher alleged that he had also planted more contaminated baby food at an another Tesco in Rochdale, Lancs.

He denied being responsible for these jars and that dozens of letters sent to the company were about “attacking Tesco”.

Wright, from Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, denies two counts of contaminating goods and three of blackmail.

He also denies a further charge of blackmail over a road-rage incident.

The trial continues today.