Briton admits sending tesco extortion email from Thailand

A British man today admitted that he had sent email from Thailand seeking £2m (€2.95m) in extortion money from retail giant Tesco by threatening to poison food in its supermarkets.

Alexander Winstone, 36, from Hertfordshire, admitted his actions and said he was sorry at a Thai police news conference in Bangkok.

He was arrested last night as he was leaving the same internet café where he allegedly sent the threatening email to Tesco’s headquarters in Cheshunt, Herts.

“I offer my sincere apologies for my actions and for having caused the problems here,” said Winstone.

“What I did was very misguided, a silly idea that I took too far. I would like to stress that it was never my intention to cause anybody any harm or hurt.” Deputy Police Commissioner Isaraphan Sanitwongse said that Winstone’s actions appeared to be financially motivated, rather than tied to a grudge.

If tried in a Thai court, the suspect faces a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment for attempted extortion, Isaraphan said.