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Edinburgh Live
3 days ago
- Edinburgh Live
'Fantasist' conned Edinburgh hotel into buying 'Queen's favourite tea' - but it was all fake
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A convicted "conman" who bragged that his home-grown Scottish tea was the Queen's "favourite" tricked a five-star hotel in Edinburgh into buying and serving the fake beverage. Falkirk Sheriff Court heard how Thomas Robinson, 55, lied to Edinburgh's Balmoral Hotel and the Dorchester Hotel in London by claiming his tea had been grown on farmland in Perthshire, reports The Mirror. Jurors heard how the tea had in fact been imported, repackaged and resold at massively inflated prices. Not only that but he also defrauded genuine Scottish tea growers by selling them plants that he claimed were grown in Scotland. It took jurors just six hours to find Mr Robinson guilty of defrauding tea growers, hotels and tea companies of almost £553,000 following a three-week trial. The tea, which traded as The Wee Tea Plantation, had a variety of names such as Scottish Antlers Tea, Highland Green, Sliver Needles and Dalreoch White. He rented out a former sheep farm in Scotland and even claimed he had a "special biodegradable polymer" that would make tea plants grow quickly. The court heard it looked like a black bin liner. Mr Robinson, who was also known as Thomas O'Brien or Tam O' Braan, created the "CV of a fantasist", according to prosecutors. He claimed he was a multi-millionaire, a bomb disposal expert and that he had invented the 'bag for life'. The fantasist boasted that the tea he had supplied to the Dorchester was "the Queen's favourite". (Image: James Chapelard / SWNS) Mr Robinson's fake claims that "our Scottish-grown teas come from gardens in our farming heartland in Perthshire and Dumfries and Galloway" was even reprinted on the Balmoral Hotel's Palm Court luxury tea menu. Mr Robinson also claimed to have given a presentation on his methods to the Royal Horticultural Society. The court heard how he had purchased over a tonne of tea grown abroad and had it delivered to an address in Glasgow, using a different company name. Mr Robinson falsely claimed his tea plants had been grown from cuttings and seeds at Dalreoch Farm, at Amulree in Perthshire. He scammed a dozen genuine tea growers in Scotland and one from Jersey between 2015 and 2016 by supplying them with 22,000 plants at £12.50 each. The scammer was actually importing tea plants at €3 each from a horticulturalist in Italy. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. Mr Robinson had denied the crimes, claiming paperwork for his defence had been destroyed in a flood and his electronic records had been lost. He told jurors he was "proud" of his work, saying: "I wanted to leave something that would stand in the history of tea." Mr Robinson was eventually investigated in 2017 by Perth and Kinross Council which checked to see if he had a food processing licence. Ian Cowie, Senior Investigator at the Scottish Food Crime and Incidents Unit, worked closely on the case after fraud concerns were raised within the food industry. He told The Mirror: "Concerns were raised by individuals within the food industry regarding the legitimacy of Mr Robinson's claims, which was subject to initial examination by environmental health officers of Perth & Kinross Council and Fife Council, who attended businesses premises in their respective areas and ultimately reported their suspicions to FSS that fraud may be involved. "With the assistance of both local authorities, FSS made initial enquiries, and then led on a full criminal investigation after discrepancies in supply sources, product provenance and business representations were identified. "Food fraud is often complex and deliberately concealed. In this case, Mr Robinson proved to be the consummate conman. He is highly articulate and operated in plain sight by courting media attention from press agencies across the UK and Europe to create the public illusion that he had succeeded in establishing commercially viable tea plantations in Scotland, through employing innovative techniques and specialist equipment he had invented. "He constructed a convincing story supported by fabricated documentation, false claims of scientific backing and associations with respected institutions, and went so far as claiming his tea had gained prestigious international tea awards proclaiming his to be the best tea in the world, which of course did not exist. Many of his victims were themselves influenced by his strong media footprint and misled by his explanation on what appeared to be a credible and innovative enterprise. "The investigation was particularly complex due to the nature of the fraud, the use of multiple aliases, and the elaborate efforts made by Mr Robinson to appear legitimate. Tracing the origins of the tea, verifying business transactions and unpicking fabricated claims required extensive time and specialist knowledge. We were committed to ensuring that the evidence gathered would stand up to scrutiny in court." Mr Robinson is due to sentenced at a later date, and faces proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Warped lies of frauster who sold Queen's 'favourite' fake tea to famous hotels
Thomas Robinson, 55, lied to the Dorchester Hotel in London and Edinburgh's Balmoral Hotel by claiming his tea had been grown on farmland in Perthshire, Scotland, a court heard A convicted "conman" who boasted his home-grown Scottish tea was the Queen's"favourite" tricked five-star hotels into buying and serving the fake beverage. Thomas Robinson, 55, lied to the Dorchester Hotel in London and Edinburgh's Balmoral Hotel by claiming his tea had been grown on farmland in Perthshire, Scotland, Falkirk Sheriff Court heard. Jurors heard how the tea had actually been imported, repackaged and resold at staggeringly inflated prices. He also defrauded genuine Scottish tea growers by selling them plants he claimed were grown in Scotland. Jurors took just six hours find Mr Robinson guilty of defrauding tea growers, hotels and tea companies of nearly £553,000 following a three-week trial. The tea, which traded as The Wee Tea Plantation, had a variety of names such as Scottish Antlers Tea, Highland Green, Sliver Needles and Dalreoch White. He rented out a former sheep farm in Scotland and even claimed he had a "special biodegradable polymer" that would make tea plants grow quickly. The court heard it looked like a black bin liner. Mr Robinson, who was also known as Thomas O'Brien or Tam O' Braan, created the "CV of a fantasist", according to prosecutors. He claimed he was a multi-millionaire, a bomb disposal expert and that he had invented the 'bag for life'. The fantasist boasted that the tea he had supplied to London's Dorchester Hotel was "the Queen's favourite". Mr Robinson's fake claims that "our Scottish-grown teas come from gardens in our farming heartland in Perthshire and Dumfries and Galloway" was even reprinted on the Balmoral Hotel's Palm Court luxury tea menu. Mr Robinson also claimed to have given a presentation on his methods to the Royal Horticultural Society. The court heard how he had purchased over a tonne of tea grown abroad and had it delivered to an address in Glasgow, using a different company name. Mr Robinson falsely claimed his tea plants had been grown from cuttings and seeds at Dalreoch Farm, at Amulree in Perthshire. He scammed a dozen genuine tea growers in Scotland and one from Jersey between 2015 and 2016 by supplying them with 22,000 plants at £12.50 each. The scammer was actually importing tea plants at €3 each from a horticulturalist in Italy. Mr Robinson had denied the crimes, claiming paperwork for his defence had been destroyed in a flood and his electronic records had been lost. He told jurors he was "proud" of his work, saying: "I wanted to leave something that would stand in the history of tea." Mr Robinson was eventually investigated in 2017 by Perth and Kinross Council which checked to see if he had a food processing licence. Ian Cowie, Senior Investigator at the Scottish Food Crime and Incidents Unit, worked closely on the case after fraud concerns were raised within the food industry. He told The Mirror: "Concerns were raised by individuals within the food industry regarding the legitimacy of Mr Robinson's claims, which was subject to initial examination by environmental health officers of Perth & Kinross Council and Fife Council, who attended businesses premises in their respective areas and ultimately reported their suspicions to FSS that fraud may be involved. "With the assistance of both local authorities, FSS made initial enquiries, and then led on a full criminal investigation after discrepancies in supply sources, product provenance and business representations were identified. "Food fraud is often complex and deliberately concealed. In this case, Mr Robinson proved to be the consummate conman. He is highly articulate and operated in plain sight by courting media attention from press agencies across the UK and Europe to create the public illusion that he had succeeded in establishing commercially viable tea plantations in Scotland, through employing innovative techniques and specialist equipment he had invented. "He constructed a convincing story supported by fabricated documentation, false claims of scientific backing and associations with respected institutions, and went so far as claiming his tea had gained prestigious international tea awards proclaiming his to be the best tea in the world, which of course did not exist. Many of his victims were themselves influenced by his strong media footprint and misled by his explanation on what appeared to be a credible and innovative enterprise. "The investigation was particularly complex due to the nature of the fraud, the use of multiple aliases, and the elaborate efforts made by Mr Robinson to appear legitimate. Tracing the origins of the tea, verifying business transactions and unpicking fabricated claims required extensive time and specialist knowledge. We were committed to ensuring that the evidence gathered would stand up to scrutiny in court." Mr Robinson is due to sentenced at a later date, and faces proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Conman dubbed Tetley Tam caged for £550,000 scam buying cheap foreign tea and selling as 'Scottish'
The fraudster flogged 22,000 plants to growers for £12.50 each TEA LEAF Conman dubbed Tetley Tam caged for £550,000 scam buying cheap foreign tea and selling as 'Scottish' A CONMAN dubbed Tetley Tam was today caged for a £550,000 scam — buying cheap foreign tea then selling it at premium prices as 'Scottish'. Thomas Robinson, 55, told customers his cuppa-brewing leaves had been grown in fields north of the border. But he was actually importing them for a fraction of the cost he charged the likes of Edinburgh's prestigious Balmoral Hotel. An expert told Falkirk Sheriff Court tea from Africa could fetch 100 times as much if sold as 'Scots-grown'. Trading as The Wee Tea Plantation, the fraudster flogged 22,000 plants to growers for £12.50 each. He either passed them off as Scottish or allowed customers to assume they were. But they had been acquired from Italy for less than £3 each. Robinson bought more than a tonne of tea from overseas and repackaged it with names like Dalreoch White, Scottish Antlers Tea and Highland Green. The Balmoral Hotel was duped into boasting: 'Our Scottish-grown teas come from gardens in our farming heartlands in Perthshire and Dumfries and Galloway.' The fantasist alleged one brand was 'the Queen's favourite'. Robinson also claimed to be a scientist who'd invented the 'Bag For Life', a bomb disposal expert, and that he'd worked for ex-US President Barack Obama. Prosecutor Joanne Ritchie said he'd formed 'a scheme to make money on the basis of lies'. Man Awarded $50m From Starbucks After Hot Drink Causes Third-Degree Burns Jurors convicted Robinson, of Amulree, Perthshire, of defrauding tea growers of £274,354 and hotels and tea companies of £278,634 between 2014 and 2019. Sheriff Keith O'Mahony remanded Robinson in custody, warning him: 'There will be significant sentencing consequences for you.'
Daily Record
21-05-2025
- Daily Record
Bride-to-be blasts sentence for paedophile fiancé after sick footage found before wedding
Twisted groom-to-be Luke Whittaker, who hid his vile paedophile obsession from partner Tracy Gow, was jailed for three years. A woman who discovered the man she was going to marry was a paedophile has blasted a court for not locking him up for longer. Twisted groom-to-be Luke Whittaker, who hid his vile paedophile obsession from his fiancee Tracy Gow, was jailed for three years on Tuesday after a sheriff said his 'depravity knew little bounds'. The beast, 35, was caught with thousands of child abuse images and videos, including graphic footage of babies being raped, after police raided the Falkirk home he shared with Tracy, just two months before their planned wedding. She said: 'This is not justice, it is an insult to victims. 'He deserved at least 15 years. He'll walk out of prison in a couple of years, but those children will live with this trauma for the rest of their lives.' The Daily Record revealed earlier this week how finance professional, Tracy, 45, said the scale and severity of her ex's crimes left her 'physically sick' and how she threw him out as soon as police told her what he was arrested for. Whittaker appeared for sentencing by video link from Low Moss Prison after admitting to downloading, possessing and sharing extreme child abuse material. He was also placed on the sex offenders' register for life. Tracy, who has been left with over £20,000 in debt from the cancelled ceremony, said: 'The severity and amount of the videos and photos is absolutely horrific. 'To think he was downloading images of babies and children being raped made me physically sick. 'This is not about me, this is about protecting children from an evil predator. He deserves to be known everywhere for what he's done. I'm just glad he's off the streets, even if it's not for long enough.' Falkirk Sheriff Court heard that officers raided Tracy's home at 8.13am on July 19 last year after receiving intelligence about Whittaker. Tracy, unaware of his crimes, allowed them access. Jamie Hillend, prosecuting, said: 'Police officers executed a warrant at the address where the accused was living with his fiancée. She was the only person home and allowed officers access.' Initial checks on devices at the house showed no illegal material. But at 8.50am the same day, a second raid was carried out at Whittaker's workplace, where his iPhone was seized. That phone contained over 1,100 child sexual abuse and exploitation images, including 143 stills and 450 videos classified as Category A - the most serious under UK law. Some videos featured children tied up and unable to move. In total, he had shared 42 files across five Telegram chat groups, most being Category A. Tracy said: 'He wasn't just looking, he was distributing. Sending them to other paedophiles. 'That takes it to another level entirely. I trusted him with my life and he was doing this behind my back. It's worse than anything I could have imagined.' Whittaker was arrested again in December while living in temporary homeless accommodation after being removed from his unit for 'unrelated reasons.' When staff packed up his room, they found 32 sheets of A4 paper, face down on his bedside table, containing printed child abuse images, some showing girls aged five to 14, including some being orally raped. Police also seized another iPhone, which contained 1,514 additional child abuse files, including 326 Category A images and three videos lasting more than two hours, showing the rape of babies. Sheriff Craig Harris said Whittaker had actively 'furthered a horrendous cycle of evil.' He told him: 'The material you had showed your depravity knows little bounds.' The case had earlier been described as 'utterly horrific' by Sheriff Maryam Labaki, who handled the initial stage in April and said it was 'at the upper end of what one sees in the sheriff court.' Despite the gravity of the offences, Whittaker received a three-year sentence, reduced from 4.5 years for his early guilty plea, and backdated to his remand. Tracty added: 'He said he did it because he was bored and drinking. That's no excuse. Plenty of people drink and none of them look at child abuse. 'What kind of man prints those images and leaves them by his bed? A dangerous, calculating predator. And people need to remember that.' Since the arrest, Tracy has worked tirelessly to pay off the £20,000 of wedding costs after initially launching, and later taking down, a GoFundMe page. 'This whole thing has broken me, but I'll recover. The victims he exploited don't get that choice. That's who this is about, the victims.' Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
The Irish Sun
09-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Four men got my daughter killed & one of them was her abusive lover, says Amy-Rose Wilson's mum
THE heartbroken mum of a woman killed in a horror car chase blasted her girl's abusive boyfriend for forcing her to get behind the wheel. Joan Campbell, 62, insisted Ryan Patterson, 23, was as much to blame for her daughter Amy-Rose Wilson's death as the three maniacs who rammed her motor off the road. Advertisement 7 Joan Campbell said her daughter 'died a hero' and slammed her abusive boyfriend 7 Amy-Rose sustained fatal injuries in the crash 7 Anthony Davidson was found guilty of culpable homicide 7 Andrew Gregoire faces sentencing at the High Court in Glasgow on May 21 7 Arslan Sajid drove a Mercedes which struck the back of the car The XL Bully breeder was in the passenger seat and survived having ordered Amy-Rose, 27, to drive him away from the drug thugs. Now he has been caged for three years for sickening campaigns of domestic abuse against the young mum plus four other women after Joan alerted cops. A drug dealer and two accomplices face sentencing later this month after being found guilty of culpable homicide over Amy-Rose's death. But Joan, of Bo'ness, near Falkirk, said: 'As far as I am concerned four men were responsible for my daughter's death — the three convicted and Paterson. Advertisement 'My daughter died a hero for trying to get him away from his attackers in a car she had been forced to drive. 'She must have been terrified. He's lured her into this world, through manipulation and control. 'The main victim is her eight-year-old son, left without a mummy. It breaks our hearts.' Paterson last month admitted the abuse of five victims between 2019 and last year. Advertisement Most read in The Scottish Sun The thug strangled, kicked and punched one of his victims — and threatened to chop her up while brandishing a machete. Paterson choked one of his exes with his hands until she started to turn purple, Falkirk Sheriff Court heard. Sheriff Craig Harris added: 'You brandished a knife at her and threatened to chop her up.' At least 7 children injured as car 'deliberately' ploughs into crowd of kids leaving school in ram attack in Japan He branded the brute 'a serial domestic abuser' with a 'complete disregard for women.' Describing his abuse of Amy-Rose, the law chief said: 'You were abusive towards her, aggressive in her presence, damaged property and were controlling of her and assaulted her.' Advertisement Falkirk Sheriff Court heard he forced another woman to take up drugs — and branded one of his victims a 'stupid wee cow'. He faces a non-harassment order meaning he can not contact his victims plus 12 months' supervision on his release. 7 Joan insisted Ryan Patterson was partly to blame for Amy-Rose's death 7 Amy-Rose 'had no idea she was in danger' Advertisement Retired nurse Joan told how the thug may have been swayed by toxic influencer Andrew Tate. She said: 'This misogyny rubbish, they always go on about getting the girl to drive. 'My daughter was essentially the controlled girlfriend.' Joan recalled being aware Amy-Rose was seeing Paterson in the months before her death but had no idea she was in danger. Advertisement Edinburgh High Court previously heard how Amy-Rose's killers confronted her and Paterson over claims they had stolen five kilos of cannabis — and shouted at them: 'You're f*****g dead.' Moments later she sped away from a car park in Cumbernauld. Arslan Sajid, 24, drove a Mercedes which Joan told how she learned of Amy-Rose's death while at a wedding in Wales. Advertisement She said: 'Nothing can prepare you for that. Initially we didn't know anything about it being related to drugs. How did my baby get involved in this? She wasn't in that world. It was utter shock.' Joan later raised the alarm after discovering the shocking state of her daughter's flat. She added: 'There were holes punched in the walls and kicked in the internal doors. 'I thought, 'if this is what he has done, it is domestic abuse'. Advertisement 'The dog paraphernalia lying around in the flat was awful. 'I just thought, 'Amy doesn't live like this, this isn't right' and told the police. They found other girls he'd abused too - and now we've got a conviction. He's a danger to women.' Read more on the Irish Sun Paying tribute to her daughter, Joan said: 'Amy-Rose was always smiling. She was very beautiful and was always kind to her friends. 'Amy-Rose was an animal lover and wanted to work from horses from when she started riding at the age of nine.' Sajid faces sentencing with associates Andrew Gregoire, 29, plus Anthony Davidson, 32 at the High Court in Glasgow on May 21. Advertisement
