Fraudster Profited Over £1 Million Selling Fake Scottish Tea
A fraudster who deceived luxury hotels and retailers into purchasing "Scottish-grown tea" that was actually sourced from abroad earned more than £1 million from his criminal activities, a court has been informed.
Thomas Robinson, 56, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison last June after being convicted of a £550,000 scam that extended over five years starting in 2014.
However, Stirling Sheriff Court heard that Robinson, who operated under the name Tam O'Braan to his numerous customers, gained profits nearly double that amount.
Prosecutors are now seeking to recover the proceeds Robinson obtained from the fraudulent scheme.
Prosecutors Seek to Recover Over £1 Million
Fiscal depute Asif Rashid stated that the "benefit amount" claimed by the Crown was £1.068 million.
"It had been thought the amount was even higher - £1.6m - but after eliminating an element of double counting the Crown submitted the lower figure," Rashid said.
This information emerged during a preliminary hearing concerning the Crown's action under the Proceeds of Crime Act to evaluate and confiscate the funds Robinson earned through fraud.
The final amount Robinson will be ordered to repay to the public purse will depend on his available assets, which have not yet been disclosed in open court.
Any defence objections to the alleged benefit amount will also be considered.
Details of the Fraudulent Tea Business
Operating under the name "The Wee Tea Plantation," Robinson purchased tea plants from a gifts nursery in Sussex and cultivated them in the kaleyard of a former sheep farm he rented near Loch Tay.
He presented the tea plants to buyers from prestigious outlets including the high-end department store Fortnum & Mason.
The 56-year-old claimed to have developed a method to enable his tea to thrive despite Scotland's challenging climate by using a "special biodegradable polymer," which prosecutors described as resembling black bin liner.
Robinson also supplied upscale clients such as Edinburgh's Balmoral Hotel and London's Dorchester with tea varieties bearing names like Highland Green, Silver Needles, and Scottish Antlers Tea.
During the trial, jurors heard that Robinson had purchased over one tonne of tea grown overseas, repackaged it, and sold it as Scottish-grown.
The imported tea was delivered to a mailbox address in Glasgow and paid for via a private bank account to conceal its origin.
Prosecutors explained that a kilogram of African tea could be sold for 100 times its purchase price if falsely marketed as grown in Scotland.
Defendant's Response and Upcoming Hearings
Robinson, from Amulree, Perthshire, denied the charges, asserting that documents which could have supported his defence were destroyed in a flood and that his electronic records had been wiped.
A further preliminary hearing is scheduled for 18 March, with a full hearing planned for later this Spring.
