Man begins 6-year term after Tesco blackmail plot

A FORMER tax inspector was last night beginning a six-year prison sentence for a £1 million (€1.34m) blackmail plot against Tesco.

Philip McHugh, of Milton Avenue, Clitheroe, Lancashire, sent 76 letters threatening to bomb branches of the supermarket chain across Britain last summer.

McHugh, 52, also threatened to contaminate Tesco products.

The judge at St Albans Crown Court said McHugh was guilty of a sustained and serious effort to extort money from the retailer.

McHugh, who had debts of £37,000 from online gambling, began his campaign last May with a series of letters threatening to contaminate food in Tesco stores unless he was paid £100,000. He then sent letters to Tesco headquarters in Hertfordshire, culminating in a demand for £200,000 to stop him putting caustic soda in yoghurt sold by Tesco.

In July last he sent hoax bomb warnings to 76 Tesco branches, warning of “Black Saturday”, saying bombs would go off at the stores on Saturday July 14.

As a result, 14 stores were closed, costing an estimated £1.4m in lost revenue.

McHugh was arrested in Clitheroe on July 23 after withdrawing money from the account that had been placed there as a lure.