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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
3 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.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Fraudster conned luxury hotels and retailers out of £580k by selling fake Scottish tea
A man has been found guilty of fraud totalling almost £600,000 after he passed off ordinary tea as a premium product grown in Scotland. Thomas Robinson, 52, claimed the tea was a unique variety he had grown at his Perthshire estate using innovative techniques. Operating as The Wee Tea Plantation, he then fraudulently sold it to high-profile clients in the hospitality sector, including luxury hotels and retailers, between January 2014 and February 2019. Varieties listed on the website - which touted partnerships with train operator Caledonian Sleeper and the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh - include Dalreoch White, Silver Needles, Scottish Antlers Tea, and Highland Green. Also known as Tam O'Braan and Thomas O'Brien, Robinson was found to have misled genuine Scottish tea growers by selling them plants he falsely claimed were a unique, locally-grown variety. He also bolstered his credibility by fabricating academic qualifications and industry awards. An investigation by Food Standards Scotland (FSS) found Robinson's misrepresentations led to his clients losing a total of £584,783. He was found guilty of two counts of fraud by a jury at Falkirk Sheriff Court on Thursday, and is due to be sentenced at Stirling Sheriff Court on 25 June. Read more from Scotland: In a statement, Ron McNaughton, head of Scottish food crime and incidents unit at FSS, said: "This was not a victimless crime - individuals, businesses, and an emerging sector of genuine Scottish tea growers suffered real financial and reputational harm as a result of deliberate deception." He then thanked a witness who came forward and added: "Fraud of this nature is often difficult to detect and even harder to prove, but we were determined to pursue every line of inquiry to build the strongest possible case."
Scottish Sun
3 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.'
STV News
4 days ago
- STV News
Conman duped top hotels and growers out of £550,000 by selling fake Scottish tea
A conman who bought tea from around the world and sold it on as Scottish has been jailed after being found guilty of a fraud totalling more than half a million pounds. Thomas Robinson, 55, also known as Thomas O'Brien or Tam O'Braan, rented land on a former sheep farm near Loch Tay and began supplying Edinburgh's top Balmoral Hotel with what he described as authentically Scottish single-estate tea. He claimed he'd been told that tea he had supplied to London's five-star Dorchester Hotel was 'the Queen's favourite'. STV News Thomas Robinson, 55, also known as Thomas O'Brien or Tam O'Braan, rented land on a former sheep farm near Loch Tay. A court heard he bought tea plants from a nursery in Sussex called 'Plants4Presents' and installed them for show in a former kitchen garden at the property, Dalreoch Farm, Amulree, Perthshire shortly before an expected visit from buyer acting for top peoples' foodstore Fortnum and Mason's. He said he had found a way to make his tea grow in half the usual time – using a 'special biodegradable polymer' which the prosecution said looked like black bin liner – and claimed to have given a presentation on his methods to the Royal Horticultural Society. The tea menu at the Balmoral's Palm Court, based on descriptions Robinson gave them, boasted 'Our Scottish grown teas come from gardens in our farming heartlands in Perthshire and Dumfries and Galloway'. They had names like Dalreoch White, Silver Needles, Scottish Antlers Tea, and Highland Green. STV News The Wee Tea Plantation's Dalreoch White, Silver Needles, Scottish Antlers Tea, and Highland Green. Trading as The Wee Tea Plantation, Robinson spun customers what Falkirk Sheriff Court heard were 'elaborate lies' that he'd sold tea to Kensington Palace, played rugby for Blackheath, was a multi-millionaire, a landowner, a polymer scientist, had invented the 'Bag For Life', had served in the British Army in bomb disposal, had worked for the Obama administration in America on a maize project, had studied botany at Edinburgh University, and that his wife was a solicitor. Prosecutors described this as 'the CV of a fantasist'. He also sowed success stories in the press and appeared on a BBC podcast, telling presenter Mark Stephen he'd learned to force tea plants 'like rhubarb under a sink' by restricting UV light. An expert said this would actually kill them. The court was told he secured deals to supply single-estate Scottish-grown tea products from his own plants and other tea gardens in Scotland to France's oldest tea house Mariage Frères, as well as the Balmoral, The Dorchester, Fortnum and Mason and a Dunfermline-based firm called The Wee Tea Company, of which he had briefly been appointed a director before resigning as a result of what he called a 'schism' with the owners. The court heard Robinson bought over a tonne of tea grown abroad, repacked it, and sold it on. He disguised what he was doing by getting the foreign leaf delivered to a mailbox address in Glasgow registered to a company called 'Thomas James Consultants', and paying though a joint personal bank account, not the Wee Tea Plantation business account. One expert said a kilo of top tea from Africa could be sold for 100 times its cost if passed as grown in Scotland. Robinson also claimed to have produced tea plants at Amulree from cuttings and seed. Between 2015 and 2018 he supplied 22,000 plants to a dozen other growers in Scotland and one in Jersey at £12.50 each. The jury heard that over the same period he was actually importing tea plants at three euros each from a horticulturalist in Italy. He either passed them off as Scottish-grown or allowed his customers to assume they were. Many died or did not thrive, and yields were a fraction of what Robinson had given his customers to expect. One grower, an antique dealer, who bought thousands of plants for his wife's family farm near Castle Douglas, said Robinson had told him he could expect to be picking his first tea at the end of a year, and could eventually expect a yield of 100 kilos of top tea plus 450 kilos of secondary leaf for blends. After battling for seven years, they finally managed to harvest just 100 grammes of finished tea. Robinson claimed that with the exception of 15,000 plants sold to a grower in Jersey, all the Italian plants had been in Scottish ground for a period and that made them Scottish. The scam began to unravel early in 2017 after Perth and Kinross Council started to check up on whether Robinson had a food processing licence; then he received a visit from a Scottish Government advisor about plant passports. He told the advisor the only plants he had were for his own use, then, in what the Crown said was an attempted cover-up, he sent out a story to the local press claiming thousands of his plants had been stolen. The Food Crime and Incidents Unit of Food Standards Scotland was called in, and an investigation was launched, headed by a retired police inspector. Prosecutor Joanne Ritchie said Robinson had formed 'a scheme to deceive and make money on the basis of lies'. She said: 'When you look at what he was actually doing, the suggestion that this was genuine Scottish tea or these were Scottish-grown plants is almost laughable. 'He lied to every single witness who encountered him, but more than that he lied to the population at large, to the people who had been buying this tea on the understanding it was Scottish.' After a three and a half week trial, involving thousands of pages of documentation, jurors took six hours to find Robinson, of Amulree, guilty of defrauding the tea growers of £274,354 and the hotels and tea companies of £278,634 – a total of nearly £553,000 – between January 1, 2014 and 28 Feb 2019. The verdict was unanimous, and with no deletions to any of the charges. Robinson denied the crimes, claiming that paperwork he could have used in his defence had been destroyed in a flood and his electronic records had been lost because his storage had been turned off. He insisted he had done no wrong and was 'proud' of his work. He told the jury: 'I wanted to leave something that would stand in the history of tea.' He shook his head when the verdicts were announced. Sheriff Keith O'Mahony deferred sentence for reports until June 25 and remanded Robinson in custody. He warned him: 'There will be significant sentencing consequences for you.' Advocate Colin Neilson, defending, reserved mitigation. Robinson will also face proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
