Cash depot boss tells court of his terror after bomb letter arrived

THE BOSS of a G4S cash depot told a court he felt “terrified” when he received a letter threatening to detonate bombs under workers’ cars if he did not pay out £1m.

Employee Daniel Garland, 19, has admitted a bomb hoax but denies blackmailing the security giant by sending the anonymous letter to the general manager of the site in Thornaby, Teesside, in January.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the teenager threatened to blow up vehicles, storm the depot with weapons and to visit a mother and her baby while her partner – a G4S employee – was at work.

The depot’s general manager, Dean Jeffels, told the court: “Going through this letter again today is terrifying.”

The police were informed and a major investigation was launched, led by a chief superintendent.

Vehicles were brought back to the depot for checking by sniffer dogs and specialist teams, while the depot’s 134 employees who were on duty that day were prevented from going home.

Police believed from the level of information in the letter that an employee was the author, and they identified Garland as a suspect.

After his arrest they found a spare copy of the letter hidden behind a poster in the music room of his home, the jury heard.

Garland, of Durham Place, Chester-le-Street, County Durham, denies two counts of blackmail.

The trial continues.