Fraudster made £500,000 by conning luxury brands into buying fake ‘Scottish tea’

A fraudster who made more than £500,000 by conning luxury businesses into buying ‘Scottish-grown tea’ that actually came from wholesalers abroad has been jailed.

Thomas Robinson, 55, operating under the business name The Wee Tea Plantation, claimed to have cultivated the tea at his Perthshire estate using innovative techniques.

He flogged it to high profile clients including representatives of the Balmoral Hotel, the Dorchester Hotel and a company acting on behalf of Fortnum & Mason.

Robinson, also known as Tam O’Braan and Thomas O’Brien, bolstered his credibility by fabricating academic qualifications and industry awards.

He claimed to have worked for the Obama administration in America on a maize project, served in the British Army in bomb disposal and invented the ‘bag for life’.

But the reality was he had bought over a tonne of tea grown abroad, repacked it, and sold it on.

He disguised what he was doing by getting the foreign tea delivered to a mailbox address in Glasgow and paying for it though a private bank account.

The court heard a kilo of African tea 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.

Over the same period he was actually importing tea plants at €3 each from a horticulturalist in Italy.

He either passed them off as Scottish-grown or allowed his customers to assume they were.

Representing himself, Robinson begged for ‘compassion’ as he appeared by videolink from HMP Low Moss, wearing a green sweatshirt.

Sheriff Keith O’Mahony refused a bid to defer sentence and said it was in the public interest that it went ahead, as Robinson was ‘articulate’ enough to represent himself.

He was found guilty of two counts of fraud, spanning January 2014 and February 2019, to a value of almost £553,000 after a trial at Falkirk Sheriff Court.

Robinson, who told the court he has four children and attends church, claimed he awoke every morning in his cell plagued with guilt about the ‘reputational damage’ caused to genuine Scottish tea growers.

‘I’ve had time to wrestle with this over sleepless nights, coming to realise how wrong and stupid I’ve been,’ he told the court.

‘The damage this has on all concerned, the stigma of misleading others… I should have been much more transparent and owned up to the situation. Hubris and arrogance made me believe I did my best.

‘The method by which you could grow tea in Scotland, something I was told you couldn’t do… I didn’t know the best, I didn’t act as I should have. I go to church, I’m perfectly aware that a sin is not only to do something, but also not to do the right thing.

‘The shame of that hangs over me every morning every time I wake up in my cell. Central to that guilt I’m responsible for reputational damage of those involved and reputational damage of growing tea in Scotland.

‘It was a scheme I received support from the Scottish Government. I solemnly hope my actions have not detracted from the success which can be achieved for people who want to grow tea in Scotland. I can only offer my sincere apologies if my actions have besmirched that capability.’

He told the court he had experienced ‘suicidal emotions’ due to guilt and had been ‘too ashamed to explain’ to his four children.

Robinson claimed he would not reoffend and had learnt from his actions, ‘not only from shock of my conviction but truthful acceptance of what I have done’.

He added: ‘I solemnly would ask that the above is taken into consideration not as an excuse but an acceptance of the serious nature of my actions and inactions, and I throw myself on the mercy of the court for your compassion.’

Sheriff O’Mahony said the jury had ‘generally rejected’ Robinson’s evidence, and the charges spanned five years and totalled £552,988.

He added: ‘By any measure these convictions must be regarded as significant. Mr O’Brien demonstrated significant planning, he was persistent, he repeatedly made false statements.

‘These charges are not victimless, witness after witness gave evidence and said they would not have had the transaction if they had known. They were convinced on false pretences to hand over significant sums of money.’

Robinson put his head in his hands as the three-and-a-half year sentence was handed down.

Helen Nisbet, procurator fiscal for Tayside, Central and Fife, said: ‘Individuals, businesses, and genuine Scottish tea growers suffered financial and reputational harm as a consequence of Robinson’s deceit.

‘But thanks to partnership working between Food Standards Scotland, Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, he has been brought to account for his crimes.

‘We are committed to tackling financial crime of this kind.’

Ron McNaughton, of Food Standards Scotland (FSS), said: ‘We welcome today’s sentencing as a clear signal that food fraud is a serious crime with serious consequences.

‘A three-and-a-half year custodial sentence reflects the scale and impact of Mr Robinson’s deception. His actions caused real financial and reputational harm to individuals, businesses and a developing sector of genuine Scottish tea producers.

‘This outcome is the result of a complex and painstaking investigation involving a dedicated team at FSS and the co-operation of partner agencies and key witnesses.

‘It demonstrates that those who set out to mislead consumers and defraud businesses will be held accountable.

‘Food fraud undermines consumer trust and damages the integrity of Scotland’s globally respected food and drink sector. We remain committed to detecting and disrupting criminal activity of this nature.’

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