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Crimewatch Roadshow Season 22 Episode 14
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FunTranscript
00:00Hello, Bonadio. Welcome to the programme.
00:03We are coming to you live from our studio here in the centre of Cardiff.
00:07This morning, an armed burglar who escaped with nearly £1.5 million worth of goods from a home in Sevenoaks is still at large.
00:17All of a sudden, there was this armed robber pointing a gun at me.
00:23I'm sick! I don't know anymore!
00:26I thought, oh my goodness, is he going to kill me?
00:28Can you help detectives identify him?
00:32Welcome back to Crimewatch Live.
00:35He's been jamming the switchboard both here and at the instant.
00:39Just to remind you, this was the induction and rainbow rob campaign and the handgun debate.
00:46Hello and welcome to Crimewatch.
00:4912 people rang and giving the same answers fantastic as this is.
00:58Good morning and welcome to the penultimate programme of the series.
01:05We've got lots on the show, so do stay with us.
01:07Today, detectives in Wiltshire need your help with a very unusual case.
01:11These valuable historic statues have been stolen from Eiford Gardens.
01:16Have you any idea who's behind this heist?
01:19And a Scottish scammer tricked luxury hotels into buying fake tea that they believed had been grown in Scotland.
01:27This was a very elaborate fraud that was reaching into all sorts of corners of the tea world.
01:34Pam O'Brien had swindled a lot of us out of a lot of money.
01:39Hey, who knew the tea world this summer?
01:41Yay!
01:41Well, we're very excited in the studio because we're going to be joined by these four fabulous furry friends.
01:48We're going to be hearing how their strong scenting skills can save lives on search and rescue missions.
01:55They look great, don't they?
01:56I know, they do. This is going to be wild.
01:58As always, our team are backstage ready to take your calls.
02:02You can find our contact details by using the QR code.
02:04You simply scan the code with your phone's camera and it will direct you to our homepage where you can find all of our contact details.
02:11Otherwise, the number to call is 08000 468 999 or you can text us on 63399.
02:18Start with the word crime, leave a space, then write your message.
02:20And finally, you can email us at cwl at bbc.co.uk.
02:25But first this morning, detectives in Kent are appealing for your help to find an armed burglar
02:31who got away with £1.5 million worth of goods and left a homeowner terrified.
02:37What happened to me was the furthest thing away from my mind to encounter such a horrific experience.
02:51This person is violent and dangerous and I believe he could possibly do it again.
02:59Living there, I felt totally safe.
03:08It was just a lovely place to have a home.
03:12June 2024 and an armed robber targets a woman in her garden in Sevenoaks, Kent.
03:19The victim wishes to remain anonymous.
03:21It was just like a normal, normal Friday, lovely sunny day and I decided, oh, I'll go round to see the pond and the fish just to see if they were all okay.
03:34And then wandered back towards the front door and then, oh, all of a sudden, there was this armed robber pointing a gun at me.
03:49I think I just went into shock.
03:53I mean, I just remember him grabbing my collar and pulling me.
04:01He asked about the safes and I decided to take him to the one outside.
04:06We went into the garage and they just grabbed everything out of the safe, just pushing everything into a satchel.
04:21He then dragged me back towards the house.
04:24Help me! Help me! Help me! Help me! Help me! I don't love anymore!
04:30I know!
04:34He dragged me upstairs, into the bedroom, and forced me to open the other safe.
04:41Whilst I was doing that, he split my forehead open with the gun.
04:48Oh, blood was everywhere in my eyes.
04:51I proceeded just to empty that safe into his satchel.
04:57And then dragged me back down the stairs.
05:00Tore a cable from one of the lamps and tied my hands
05:05and tied my feet with the extension cable.
05:11He then tied them to my hands so that I was totally immobilised.
05:19I think he had fractured a rib because the pain was excruciating.
05:25The intruder wasn't convinced he'd got all the jewellery
05:30and continued searching.
05:33And then he came back down and put a chair on my back as well.
05:38I just lay there in sheer panic.
05:42I thought, oh, my goodness, is he going to kill me?
05:45I didn't know if he was still in the house.
05:49She was left tied up for over an hour.
05:52When my husband came home, he heard me shout,
05:57there's an armed robber in the house.
05:59I don't know if he's still here.
06:01Phone the police.
06:05Hi, you're free to come, please.
06:06There's your emergency.
06:08Yeah, my wife's been attacked in our house.
06:11She's tied up and everything.
06:13This is a violent crime.
06:14Get somebody out here quickly, please.
06:15My husband couldn't believe that the state I was in,
06:20that he found me.
06:23But before she was freed,
06:25the victim wanted evidence of the tactics used by the man.
06:29I said to my husband,
06:31take a photograph of the way this person has tied me up,
06:36because I think this looks pretty professional.
06:40And then cut the cables off me.
06:44Armed police arrived,
06:46and the victim was taken to hospital for treatment.
06:49I feared for my life there.
06:51Yeah, I could possibly have died.
06:53She was convinced she wasn't the robber's only victim.
06:57He has done this many times, I believe,
07:00and is pretty professional.
07:04He would need to know access points and people's movements.
07:10So I would guess he's been doing surveillance
07:12on the property and surrounding areas for a while.
07:19The armed robber was all masked up and balaclavaed up.
07:24But what I did take note of
07:27is when he did say things to me,
07:29that there wasn't a foreign accent there.
07:33Open it. Open the carriage.
07:35The thief stole almost £1.5 million worth of valuables.
07:47Detectives pieced together CCTV of the thief's escape
07:50and were able to map the journey he then took on the train.
07:56He got the 5.38pm from Hildenbrook train station.
08:07He gets off the train at Tunbridge train station,
08:12where he then gets on the next train.
08:16He gets off at Marden train station.
08:24And he has then cycled leaving Marden train station at 6.02pm.
08:35They were then able to build up a profile of the armed robber.
08:39He is a white male, exceptionally large build.
08:46A distinctive feature is his muscular arms.
08:50He had trainers on with very distinctive red soles.
08:57It was a warm, hot, sunny day.
09:00And the clothing that the offender was wearing,
09:03I think, would have stood out to his fellow passengers
09:06as being unusual.
09:07What's striking about this case
09:18is that he appears to have a loss of control.
09:23There was no need for him to be so violent towards her.
09:29This contrasts with how meticulously and careful his planning is.
09:34I won't forget the first time I watched the CCTV.
09:41Her screams will remain with me.
09:44And I'm determined to try and catch this man.
09:47You can't just forget about it.
09:54You think about it every day.
09:56You're wary of people.
10:00You suspect everybody now.
10:04I did not see the reason why he had to slit my head open.
10:09Maybe that's a sadistic streak he's got in him.
10:13But, yeah, a complete coward.
10:19Goodness, what a frightening thing for the victim to have gone through there.
10:22Well, this took place on Friday the 21st of June last year
10:26at a residential property near Wilderness Golf Course in Sevenoaks in Kent.
10:32Now, police know the suspect travelled on multiple trains between London and Kent.
10:37And they believe he might have done a recce of the area beforehand
10:41because he seems to know the locations of all the CCTV cameras.
10:47Now, police are interested in any information about the suspect's bike,
10:51which they describe as an older-style racing bike
10:55dating from the mid-90s to the early 2000s.
10:58Now, it's been modified for racing,
11:00which suggests that the suspect is a cyclist
11:03or has done multi-sport activities before.
11:07There is a Crimestoppers reward of up to £10,000
11:10for any information which leads to the arrest
11:13and successful conviction of the person responsible.
11:17So, if you recognise him or you know anything at all about this case,
11:21please do get in touch.
11:23The contact details are below.
11:24From that burglary inside a home to one from a garden now,
11:30I'm with DI Steve Edwards from Wiltshire Police
11:33to hear about a unique appeal regarding four historic statues
11:37that have been stolen from a manor house in Wiltshire.
11:40Steve, welcome to the programme.
11:41Can you tell us what's happened?
11:42Yeah, of course.
11:43So, on the very early hours of the 20th of June this year
11:46at Eiford Manor, which is a very rural location in Wiltshire,
11:50four very valuable, significant heritage value statues
11:52have been stolen from the grounds and taken away.
11:55OK, we can see the grounds here of where they were taken from.
11:58So, what was actually taken?
12:00So, we've got four statues that have been taken from the grounds
12:03that have been there for a very long time.
12:05The first one's coming onto the screen now.
12:06So, this is the She-Wolf.
12:08It's a copy based on one from the Capitoline Museum in Rome.
12:12It's been there in situ since 1901,
12:14so for many, many generations.
12:16It's around a metre long, just over, about three and a half feet long.
12:19It's bronze, and it's been in position there for many, many years.
12:22And in the days after this offence took place,
12:25people have been in contact and recalled their grandparents
12:27when they were children having photos next to this statue.
12:30That is so sad, isn't it?
12:31Been there for so long.
12:32OK, what about this next one?
12:34So, we've got an image of a deer here,
12:36but there's actually two of these.
12:37Is that right?
12:38That's correct.
12:38They're exactly the same as each other,
12:39minus any weathering differences.
12:41So, these are two Roman deer.
12:42They're copies based on bronzes from Herculaneum in Italy.
12:46And, again, they've been in situ there for many, many years.
12:49And there's one more here as well to make the fourth one.
12:52Let's have a look at this.
12:53This is a bust, isn't it?
12:54So, what's this?
12:55So, this is the bust of Antinoas.
12:57OK.
12:57It's been in situ above an archway in the grounds
13:00that the public have been able to view for many, many years.
13:02Now, these are big statues, aren't they, Steve?
13:04They're huge, they're bulky, they're clunky.
13:07How do you think they are actually removed?
13:09Of course.
13:10So, where we've got the grounds here sitting behind the manor,
13:12during the warmer months of the year,
13:13members of the public are welcomed into these grounds.
13:16They have heavy footfall, lots of visitors.
13:18And, actually, the night before this offence took place,
13:20on the 19th, there was a jazz festival taking place.
13:23There's around 100 people there.
13:24What we believe is offenders have likely done a recce
13:27in the days leading up to this offence.
13:28They've been around those grounds.
13:30They've probably taken a particular interest
13:31in particular statues within there.
13:33Where we see on this image on the screen,
13:35coming to the back and the right of the image,
13:37we've got the path.
13:38That leads to a gateway.
13:39That takes you onto the road as this loops around the hill.
13:42And the gateway itself, we think they've used a trolley
13:45and they've loaded statues onto that trolley.
13:47And there it is on the screen, one at a time.
13:50And they've conveyed those out into a small van
13:53back onto the road.
13:54We do believe that as they've got the statues into the van,
13:58they've realised the trolley won't also fit.
14:00So, that's been left behind.
14:02So, that trolley was actually discovered at the scene.
14:04And you think that may well have been used for this crime?
14:07And there's also the gate here we can see.
14:09This is where you think they may have left from?
14:12That's absolutely right, yeah.
14:13So, where we see the gate there,
14:14the lock has been levered off rather than cut.
14:16And we think they've accessed to and from that gate,
14:18parked nearby to the road,
14:20loaded those statues and then driven away,
14:22leaving that trolley behind.
14:23Why do you think anyone would want to steal
14:25these historic pieces of art?
14:27We strong believe they've been stolen to order.
14:29The value of these, in terms of heritage
14:30to the local area, to the community,
14:32as they are and their history,
14:35is of significant value.
14:36We do believe they've been stolen to order.
14:38We believe someone is sitting behind the individuals
14:40who've been on the grounds that night
14:42and committed this terrible crime.
14:43And we believe that they exist somewhere,
14:45as they are, in the UK or abroad.
14:47OK.
14:48Arrests have been made, haven't they,
14:50so far as part of this investigation?
14:52They have been, yeah.
14:53So, following this report to us on the 20th,
14:55some quick police inquiries
14:56identified a vehicle of interest.
14:58That was a small van.
14:59We believe it was on clone plates
15:00and those plates were circulated
15:01to local offices and other forces.
15:03It was picked up in Bristol six days later
15:05and a small pursuit took place.
15:07Two offenders were arrested
15:08and we're confident that those individuals
15:10were involved in this offence.
15:12Now, people have been arrested.
15:14However, what you haven't got so far
15:16are these things back.
15:17They are still outstanding.
15:19And have you any idea where they could be?
15:21Because that is what the big appeal is for today,
15:23isn't it?
15:23Exactly.
15:24So, we believe they still exist as they are.
15:26Are they in the UK?
15:27Are they in a reclamation yard?
15:29Have they been exported outside of the country?
15:30And have they gone through ports?
15:31So, our appeal is of three things.
15:34Those who've visited the manor
15:35in the days up to this offence,
15:37did you see anything suspicious?
15:38Did you notice anything?
15:39Anyone taking any particular interest
15:40in these statues?
15:42Two, have you seen these existing
15:43anywhere else in the UK?
15:44Have you seen ones that look similar to this?
15:46We'd love to hear from you if that's the case.
15:48And three, do you work in reclamation yards
15:49or antiques or ports?
15:51Have you seen these passed through
15:52or have you been offered these for sale?
15:54Please do get in touch
15:55because we'll follow all those inquiries
15:57very seriously.
15:58Steve, thank you.
15:59Well, we hope we can help you today.
16:00If you have any information regarding this case,
16:02please do get in touch.
16:03Remember, all the usual ways to contact us
16:05are on the screen below.
16:07A quick update for you.
16:08We've previously asked for your help
16:10to find Simon Levi.
16:12Well, Tomes Valley Police
16:13wanted him for failing to attend court
16:16after he breached a serious crime prevention audit.
16:20And I'm delighted to say
16:21that Levi was arrested a few weeks ago
16:23and is now serving a four-year
16:25and four-month prison sentence.
16:29Now, did you know that privately owned e-scooters,
16:32which you see out and about a lot these days,
16:34don't you,
16:35are in fact illegal to drive on public roads?
16:38Well, last week, I spoke to Carly Calland,
16:41who lost her son, her 14-year-old son, Jacob,
16:44after he was a passenger on an e-scooter.
16:47Here's a film with Carly about what happened.
16:49Now, as you can imagine,
16:50this has some upsetting parts.
17:01Jacob was very much a typical 14-year-old.
17:04He was very sarcastic.
17:07He was very funny.
17:09He was very headstrong.
17:11Always knew what he wanted in life.
17:13Was always going to go for it.
17:15He was very loving.
17:18Very sociable.
17:19Speaking to his friends,
17:20they've always said he would always be there for them
17:22if they were having a rubbish day.
17:24He was always the person that would make everybody laugh.
17:27He was a bit of the class clown, really.
17:29Always up to something mischievous.
17:32Big Daddy!
17:34When Jacksley come into the world,
17:36he become the best Big Brother.
17:38It's like a really strong bond
17:40that he just wanted to protect him,
17:42he just wanted to love him,
17:43he just wanted to make sure he was happy.
17:44He just wanted to make sure he was happy.
17:45He was happy.
17:46He was happy.
17:47And he was in really, really good spirits on the day, to be fair.
17:53Jacob left the house,
17:55decided to go meet a friend.
17:58He's jumped on the back of his friend's e-scooter.
18:00And 18 minutes later,
18:04his life changed forever.
18:08I rushed down to the accident,
18:11because it is only at the end of the road.
18:13When we got there,
18:16it was like something that you see in the movies,
18:20in other people's lives, not in yours.
18:24The scene was huge.
18:25There was helicopters, ambulances,
18:28police cars, police vans,
18:30everything being taped off.
18:32I went looking for Jacob,
18:34but he was already in the back of the ambulance,
18:36so they said that they needed to rush off.
18:38They needed to get him to the hospital.
18:40And the police were waiting for me when I got there,
18:43and they explained, like, what had happened.
18:47Jacob, when him and his friend were on the scooter,
18:49they didn't have any helmets,
18:51no safety equipment.
18:54The accident happened.
18:56And when they got hit,
18:59Jacob flown into the air
19:01to the point that the impactor took his shoes off his feet.
19:05And he landed with a bang.
19:10He did suffer a catastrophic head injury.
19:18You don't think it's ever going to be you.
19:21And here you are,
19:23studying resource,
19:25with your boy in a coma,
19:27not being able to tell you he's all right,
19:30or what's going on.
19:31I know how strong Jacob is.
19:35I know kids bounce back,
19:37and as the days progressed,
19:39there was more positives than there was negatives.
19:43I started the text messages to him
19:49because I wanted to document
19:51what we were going through on a daily basis.
19:54Also for myself,
19:55because I knew when we'd come home,
19:58it was going to be a lot to register.
20:01So it was a bit for both of us, really,
20:03just to say that this is what happened,
20:06this is how it happened,
20:07this is what your days look like.
20:17On the 26th of March,
20:19that's when they come and told me
20:21that Jacob wasn't going to survive,
20:23and we had to get an end of care plan put in.
20:27And we sat and we did his handprints,
20:30and we did his lock of hair,
20:32and we had the music playing,
20:34and we tried to make it comfortable as possible for Jacob.
20:39Ring family, ring friends,
20:41get everyone up here to say the goodbyes.
20:43Then I said to everyone,
20:44right, you just need to go now, it's my time.
20:47My mum and my partner stayed with me.
20:49I got in bed with Jacob.
20:52I just held him.
20:53I just held him till the end.
20:57And he died at 5.18 on Thursday, the 27th of March.
21:08Knowing you're about to lose your baby,
21:11and knowing that you're never going to get to see them again,
21:16and you're never going to get to feel their chest moving,
21:20or their warmth, their body, or...
21:23Yeah, it's hard, very hard.
21:25It's hard to say goodbye.
21:27He's 14.
21:28You shouldn't be saying goodbye at 14.
21:32Sorry.
21:39Sorry.
21:39Since Jacob's passed away,
21:50I have kind of gone into autopilot.
21:53I wouldn't wish this on your worst enemy.
21:55I just don't want anyone else to go through it.
21:57I don't want another person to lose their life.
22:01If we can just stop that,
22:03I'd be proud,
22:03and I know Jacob would be proud of me too.
22:09I want to save other people from going through this.
22:12I want to put my pain
22:13into something good.
22:17If he had a helmet on,
22:18he'd still be here to tell the story.
22:21I just wish he would have wore a helmet.
22:23If I can save someone
22:26before my grieving process starts,
22:29then that's what I'm going to do.
22:35Well, I'm now joined by Jacob's mum, Carly,
22:39who you've just seen in the film there.
22:41Carly, you've also got your Jacob telly with you as well,
22:44because, I mean, we saw there
22:46you had such a good relationship with Jacob,
22:48and I know that this passion, enthusiasm,
22:52and love you have for him
22:54is now what you're putting into this campaign
22:56around public awareness of e-scooters, isn't it?
22:59Tell us a bit about it.
23:00I'm trying to make people more aware
23:03around the dangers of e-scooters
23:06on it can be quite confusing
23:08in the way that they're promoted,
23:10and I'm trying to just make it a bit more safer
23:14for people to be able to use these things.
23:16Yeah, and you're using Jacob's story, aren't you,
23:19to do that, to educate people?
23:21I am.
23:21I use the saying,
23:23my pain is his power,
23:24so I'm still grieving.
23:26I'm still going through my daily rituals
23:29of what I go through,
23:30but I'm trying to push my pain
23:32into something more positive.
23:33Yeah, understanding more about it.
23:35And the thing is,
23:36as you've just said as well, Carly,
23:38it's complicated, isn't it?
23:40All the kind of rules around it.
23:41It's probably worth me telling people about this,
23:44because there are two legal ways
23:46you can use an e-scooter in the UK.
23:48First of all is if you use one on private land
23:50with the landowner's permission,
23:52and second is if you rent one
23:55through an authorised rental scheme,
23:56and I'm sure you've seen those
23:58across cities around the UK.
24:00And to do that as well,
24:02you do need a driving licence,
24:04and you've got to meet a minimum age requirement.
24:07So what changes would you like to see made?
24:10So the changes we are campaigning for at the moment
24:13is to stop the sales to the children
24:15under the age of 18.
24:16We want mandatory helmets put in place,
24:19passengers not to be carried
24:21on these motorised vehicles.
24:23Yeah.
24:23With the campaign,
24:24we're trying to make it clearer for people
24:27and for, like, companies
24:30and people to make people more aware
24:34on the dangers of these things
24:35and that they are illegal.
24:36And there's a retailer's side to this as well,
24:40because you're talking to them too, aren't you?
24:41Tell us about that.
24:42So we've contacted a fair few retailers.
24:46We had a large company
24:48who got back to us within 24 hours
24:50and they changed everything on their website.
24:53So all the way through,
24:54I'm buying an e-scooter now.
24:55It does tell parents that they are illegal
24:57and they can't be used on public highways.
25:00Yeah, that's amazing that you made that change, isn't it?
25:03It was such a good achievement.
25:04I felt really proud after doing it
25:06and I was really thankful.
25:08And hopefully now, Christmas is coming,
25:10people buy e-scooters and stuff.
25:12Hopefully when parents go on
25:13to the well-branded website,
25:15they will now see that they are.
25:17Yeah, yeah, that's incredible.
25:19Well done for that.
25:19And you mentioned there Christmas.
25:21Of course, there will be people thinking,
25:22oh, should we get the kids an e-scooter?
25:25What would you say?
25:26Please don't buy your children an e-scooter.
25:29They're dangerous.
25:30They are a motorised vehicle.
25:32You wouldn't buy them a car.
25:34So why would you buy them an e-scooter?
25:36They're not to be used by children.
25:39Yeah, it's a really important point.
25:41Carly, thank you so much for coming in to talk to us
25:43and bringing Ted with you as well.
25:47And if you'd like to know more about Jacob's Journey,
25:50information is available at jacobsjourney.net.
25:54Now, we're off to the Scottish Highlands
25:58and possibly the most unlikeliest of scams
26:01we've ever featured on the programme.
26:03It involves a fraudster, high-end hotels and fake tea.
26:07This man started as a plausible character
26:12but turned out to be an absolute fantasist
26:15who made up everything that he said.
26:18He claimed he'd been in a canoe in the Amazon
26:19bitten by a deadly snake.
26:22He'd invented the bag for life.
26:24He is a con man.
26:25His fraud swindled a lot of us out of a lot of money
26:27but it also caused a huge amount of reputational damage.
26:30Tea is traditionally grown in China, India and Sri Lanka.
26:40But in 2014, a plantation in Perthshire, Scotland
26:44made headlines after claiming to have developed
26:47a method to grow tea successfully
26:49in Scotland's challenging climate.
26:53Expert tea grower Tam O'Bran
26:55believes Scotland is a prime spot
26:57to cultivate the tea plants.
26:58When I first heard that I was visiting a tea plantation
27:02I did think, are they crazy?
27:05Yeah.
27:05I mean, are you mad to be doing this?
27:07Well, if you go to some of the areas of Himalayas
27:09that grow tea, it's also very, very wet.
27:12Now, with that and the low-lying cloud
27:14the only thing we're missing is a lot of sunshine.
27:17But what appeared to be a thriving new business venture
27:20would ultimately reveal itself
27:22as an elaborate con with multiple victims.
27:26My name's Richard Ross.
27:27I'm a drinks writer specialising in tea.
27:30I'd grown up with a personal connection with tea.
27:32My grandfather was a tea planter in Sri Lanka.
27:37End of 2014, beginning of 2015
27:39I started to hear reports on the radio
27:42about someone who was growing tea in Perthshire.
27:45We are a nation of tea drinkers.
27:48I'm a real tea jenny.
27:49But as far as I know
27:50tea has never been commercially grown in Scotland
27:53until now.
27:56Tam O'Bran, you established Scotland's first commercial tea plantation
28:00how long ago?
28:01Five years ago?
28:02Yes, and a lot has happened since then.
28:05This was an idea that I'd never considered before.
28:08The idea that I could perhaps grow tea in Perthshire
28:11was one I didn't want to pass by.
28:15So I went to visit Tam O'Bran
28:18at this plantation at Dalryach.
28:20Thomas Robinson, or Tam O'Bran
28:24as he introduced himself to others
28:26ran a company called The Wee Tea Plantation.
28:30He was affable, very welcoming
28:34seemed a bit eccentric, maybe a bit of a maverick
28:37but I thought if you're a pioneer
28:40who's doing something like growing tea in Scotland
28:42for the first time
28:43maybe you have to be a bit of a maverick to succeed.
28:46He'd already established a market
28:50for Scottish tea at that point
28:51so he was already selling tea to the Dorchester Hotel
28:54and to Portnum and Masons in London
28:56and he suggested to us
28:58that we could expect to get a revenue
29:00of several hundred pounds per kilo.
29:04It seemed like an investment worth making.
29:07So I agreed to buy 500 tea plants from him
29:10at a cost of around £6,000.
29:12I took delivery of those plants
29:14in September of 2015
29:16and we settled them in for the Scottish winter.
29:19We were pretty excited by this whole prospect.
29:22I now had a real tea plantation.
29:26Tam continued to receive lots of media attention
29:29and in 2016 he asked to film at Richard's Plantation.
29:35For some reason I couldn't be there on that day.
29:37I didn't hear anything more about it
29:38until a couple of weeks later
29:40when he turned up on my doorstep
29:42carrying a big plastic tub.
29:46He explained that there'd been a bit of a mix-up.
29:48The film crew had wanted to show some tea
29:51being picked in the field for part of the film
29:52and he said,
29:53before I could get there
29:55they had picked all the leaf through your plantation.
29:59I'm really sorry.
30:00I had to do something with it
30:01as quickly as possible
30:02so I've processed it
30:03and here it is.
30:05And I looked at the bucket of tea
30:06and it seemed a lot
30:08and I looked at him
30:11and said,
30:12is this all from my plantation?
30:14And he said,
30:14yes, this is all yours.
30:17And I went to look at my plants
30:19and there was no appreciable difference
30:20to what I'd seen two weeks before
30:22and if he'd picked every leaf
30:25of every plant in my plantation
30:27there's no way he could have achieved
30:28the amount that he delivered to me that day.
30:32But you would think of him
30:33as the acknowledged expert
30:34and begin to doubt your own feelings
30:37your own sense of what was right
30:39and what was true.
30:41Although starting to question Robinson's authenticity
30:44Richard continued to cultivate his tea plants.
30:48There were a group of people
30:50who had bought plants from TAM
30:51we became the Scottish Tea Growers Association
30:54and so we were all at the same part in our journey
30:57so we expected the plants
30:59to really come to life in the spring
31:00that didn't really happen.
31:02But as the months passed
31:05the only thing that grew
31:07were Richard's problems
31:08while his tea plants withered and died.
31:12That summer
31:13he'd offered to replace
31:14some of my dead plants
31:16with free replacements
31:18but he'd never really been forthcoming
31:20with those plants
31:21and so I was quite in a desperate situation.
31:25It became increasingly difficult
31:27to get hold of him
31:28and he became much more evasive
31:29and elusive
31:30and we were left with a
31:32quite a fragile character
31:34and you began to have to be
31:36really quite careful
31:36about how you dealt with him
31:37because there was a sense
31:39that he could blow up
31:40without any obvious warning.
31:45With concerns brewing
31:47Richard then made a worrying discovery.
31:50We started to hear that there was an all Scottish tea list
31:54at the Balmoral Hotel
31:56one of the most prestigious hotels in Edinburgh
31:58so I decided to go in
32:00and there was a beautiful printed list of tea
32:03rather like a fine wine list
32:05I could see that there were various names
32:07alluding to the origins of these teas
32:10in different parts of Scotland.
32:12Because I knew all the tea plantations in Scotland
32:15I realised that most of these plantations
32:17had not produced any tea
32:18and that raised a lot of alarm bells.
32:21The tea sold by Thomas Robinson
32:24to the Balmoral Hotel
32:25was not sourced from Scottish growers
32:28contrary to what the hotel
32:30had been led to believe.
32:32We had nothing to do with
32:34this tea that was being sold
32:35in the Balmoral.
32:36At this point
32:37we realised that we were going to have
32:38to really do something about it.
32:41With their reputations now in jeopardy
32:44Richard and other members
32:45of the Scottish Tea Growers Association
32:47made a report to Food Standards Scotland.
32:51My name is Stuart Wilson
32:52I work within the Scottish Food Crime
32:55and Incidents Unit
32:56for Food Standards Scotland.
32:58We investigate historic
32:59food frauds and food crimes.
33:03The team started by contacting
33:05the Balmoral
33:05and all of the other hotels
33:07Thomas Robinson and Wee Tea Plantation
33:10had supplied leaves to.
33:12They had all been sold tea
33:13on the basis that was
33:15100% single estate Scottish tea.
33:18But the estates listed
33:19as having grown the tea
33:21had never actually
33:22had a successful yield.
33:24The investigation needed
33:26to be conducted
33:27to identify where the tea
33:29was actually being grown.
33:31The investigators took samples
33:33of tea from the hotels
33:34and compared them
33:35with tea leaves grown
33:37at the Scottish plantations
33:38and sent them to
33:40Aberdeen University
33:41for analysis.
33:42They confirmed
33:43the teas being sold
33:45at the hotels
33:46had not come from Scotland
33:47at all.
33:49As for Richard
33:50and his fellow growers
33:51the crops were not producing
33:53anywhere near as many leaves
33:55as they were promised.
33:57Thomas Robinson
33:58made claims
33:58to all of the growers
33:59that the particular plants
34:01that he was selling to them
34:02were hardier plants
34:04so they were resistant
34:05to the Scottish elements.
34:06None of them achieved
34:08anything like the yields
34:09they were told
34:09by Thomas Robinson.
34:11There is literally no way
34:13that our plantations
34:15or his plantations
34:16could have achieved
34:17the huge quantity of tea
34:18that he was selling.
34:20There's no way
34:20that he could have
34:21sold the tea
34:22in the quantity he did
34:23without having this network
34:24of plantations
34:25which he could point to
34:26as being a legitimate source.
34:29So we felt that
34:29we were being used
34:30very heavily in this.
34:31One of the priorities
34:34was to identify
34:35where the tea plants
34:37had originated.
34:38We were contacted
34:39by a chap from Italy
34:41who was the owner
34:43of a tea plantation
34:44who told us
34:46that he had sold
34:46numerous plants
34:47to Thomas Robinson.
34:50It transpired
34:50he'd probably sold them
34:51about 40,000 plants.
34:53Now you can go
34:54into any garden centre
34:55and buy a Camellia sinensis plant
34:57for probably £2.50.
34:58Mr Robinson
34:59was selling the tea plants
35:01for £12.50 a plant.
35:03So 40,000 times
35:04£12.50
35:05would be
35:06£500,000-ish.
35:09He was selling
35:10to the Scottish farmers
35:11at a vastly
35:13inflated price.
35:15But the fraud
35:16didn't end there.
35:18So we applied
35:19for a warrant
35:20for his bank accounts
35:21and from that
35:22we identified
35:23two wholesalers
35:25all kind of
35:26matched up.
35:27He was bulk
35:27buying tea
35:28and selling
35:29that on to hotels
35:30pretending
35:31it was exclusive
35:33Scottish leaves.
35:34It was indeed
35:36imported tea
35:36that he'd been selling.
35:38And he didn't
35:39just lie about tea.
35:41Thomas Robinson
35:42claimed to have
35:43served in the army.
35:44He was a multi-millionaire.
35:46He'd been in a canoe
35:47in the Amazon.
35:48He'd bitten by
35:49a deadly snake.
35:50He'd invented
35:51the bag for life.
35:55And all of those
35:56proved to be false.
35:56He did create
35:58the CV of a fantasist.
35:59The investigators
36:01submitted their
36:02mountain of evidence
36:03to the procurator
36:04fiscal service.
36:05They decide
36:06whether or not
36:07there are grounds
36:08to proceed
36:09and a warrant
36:09was issued
36:10for his arrest.
36:11He was charged
36:12with fraud
36:12and the case
36:13went to trial.
36:15He was charged
36:16with two frauds.
36:17The sale of
36:18the finished tea
36:19to the hotels.
36:21The other aspect
36:22is the sale
36:22of tea plants
36:23to the growers.
36:24When he decided
36:26to take the witness
36:27box himself
36:28in his own defence
36:30we were presented
36:31with several days
36:33of really
36:34fantastical evidence
36:36and yet
36:37not acknowledge
36:38any of the
36:39evidence
36:40that was presented.
36:43Thomas Robinson
36:44was found guilty
36:45for two counts
36:46of fraud
36:46totalling
36:47£553,000.
36:49He was sentenced
36:51on the 25th
36:53of June
36:532025
36:54to three and a half
36:56years in prison.
36:59Thomas Robinson
37:00is a con man.
37:02He scammed people
37:03and businesses
37:04out of thousands
37:04of pounds.
37:07This was a very
37:08elaborate fraud
37:10that was reaching
37:10into all sorts
37:11of corners
37:12of the tea world
37:13and we were
37:14being drawn
37:14into this
37:15really as
37:16very central
37:17part of the fraud.
37:18But it remains
37:20quite difficult
37:21to convince people
37:22that growing tea
37:22in Scotland
37:23is possible
37:24which it is.
37:27We now have
37:28genuine Scottish tea
37:29being produced
37:30in really small quantities.
37:32We've got to the point
37:33where we're much more
37:33confident about the future
37:34and the future
37:36is really quite rosy
37:37I think.
37:38It's quite the story
37:43that and there's
37:43another story
37:44going on here
37:44now as well
37:45let me tell you.
37:47We've got some
37:47new friends
37:48haven't we?
37:48Yeah I've got
37:48some new friends
37:49brought in by
37:51Catherine Davis
37:51and Paula Holbrook
37:52who are dog
37:53handlers
37:53for Mountain
37:54Rescue
37:55Search Dogs
37:56England.
37:57So Kevin
37:58tell us who
37:58we've got with us.
37:59I mean who've I
38:00got on my knee?
38:01This is Mia
38:02is it?
38:02Yeah.
38:03This is Mia.
38:03So this is
38:04Trainee Search Dog
38:05Mia.
38:06I've had her
38:06about 10 months
38:08and she's in training
38:09to be a search dog
38:10and she's doing
38:11really well.
38:12Certainly found Steph.
38:15And this is
38:16Mountain Rescue
38:17Search Dog
38:17Amber
38:18and she's the dog
38:19that I take out
38:20on call outs
38:21with me.
38:21She's 8
38:22and she's been
38:22with me since
38:23the moment she's
38:24born
38:24and she's been
38:25on the call out
38:26list since she was
38:275 and she started
38:28training at 2.5.
38:29Oh wow
38:30and the other two?
38:31So this is
38:32Trainee Search Dog
38:33Midge.
38:34Midge has only
38:35just started her
38:36training with
38:36Mountain Rescue
38:37Search Dogs
38:38England
38:38and on the floor
38:40here nice and
38:40relaxed is
38:41Search Dog
38:42Jackie Chan.
38:43Jackie Chan.
38:46That is his
38:47actual name.
38:49He has been
38:50on the call out
38:51list for North
38:51Dartmoor Search
38:52and Rescue
38:53Team since
38:542021.
38:55Got a bum
38:56in the face
38:56now, sorry.
38:57There we go.
38:58There we go.
39:00And he's been
39:01on about 50
39:02operational
39:02call out
39:03since he
39:04became operational
39:05five years ago.
39:07Because you're
39:07doing, like
39:08the work you're
39:09doing with
39:09these dogs
39:10you know
39:10it's quite
39:11treacherous
39:11conditions I
39:12imagine.
39:12What's the
39:13training like
39:13in terms of
39:14getting the
39:14dogs and
39:15yourselves
39:15to be able
39:16to do it?
39:16Yeah, it's
39:17training of
39:18the whole
39:18team.
39:19So as a
39:19charity we
39:20exist to
39:21train dog
39:22teams taken
39:23from existing
39:24mountain rescue
39:25personnel and
39:27their dogs
39:28to assist the
39:30police in
39:31finding vulnerable
39:32missing people
39:32in wild and
39:34remote areas.
39:35So obviously
39:36we need to
39:36train the dog
39:37and the dog
39:38always gets
39:39trained through
39:39reward.
39:40So most
39:41dogs will
39:42use a
39:43ball, a
39:43squeaky ball
39:44or something
39:44or a
39:45tuggy toy
39:46or some
39:47preferred food
39:47but they
39:48are taught
39:49to hunt
39:49and find
39:50human scent
39:50and they
39:51get their
39:51reward when
39:52they do
39:52that and
39:52we gradually
39:53expand the
39:54areas that
39:55they're
39:55searching in
39:57order to
39:57get them to
39:59search large
39:59areas very
40:00quickly.
40:01And at the
40:01same time
40:02we're training
40:03the handlers
40:03because the
40:04handlers need
40:04to understand
40:05how air
40:07affects human
40:09scent.
40:09So as
40:10humans we're
40:11constantly giving
40:11off scent
40:12and we train
40:14handlers to
40:15understand how
40:15that moves
40:16through the
40:16landscape and
40:17how it's
40:17affected by
40:18different features
40:19and how it's
40:20affected by the
40:21wind so that
40:22the handler can
40:23use the dog to
40:24its absolute
40:24best effect and
40:25find a missing
40:26person as soon
40:27as possible.
40:27I mean it's
40:28absolutely
40:28fascinating to
40:29hear about the
40:30amazing work that
40:30they do but
40:31what about you
40:32guys as well?
40:32I mean you've
40:33both got normal
40:33jobs haven't
40:34you Paula?
40:34Big jobs.
40:35Big jobs,
40:36important jobs.
40:37How do you
40:37find the time to
40:38do all this as
40:39well?
40:40I think it's
40:41something we
40:41like doing.
40:42We all choose
40:43to spend our
40:43time doing
40:44things we
40:45like and for
40:46me being
40:46outdoors and
40:47for all of us
40:48being outdoors
40:48on the hill
40:49with our dog
40:51I can't imagine
40:53anything better
40:54than that.
40:54So I guess we
40:55just enjoy doing
40:56it.
40:56I could go play
40:56football or
40:57a dart.
40:57And it's
40:58worlds apart
40:58from your work
40:59as a lecturer.
41:00Yes.
41:01It's just
41:02but I've
41:03done this
41:03for over
41:0430 years
41:05I'm a dog
41:06handler since
41:062019 so it's
41:08kind of something
41:08that I've
41:09always done
41:09I've always
41:09really enjoyed
41:10doing.
41:10Yeah.
41:11And so tell us
41:12a bit about the
41:13rescue missions as
41:13well what are
41:14they like when
41:15you're doing
41:15them?
41:15We have a
41:16call out
41:16about 30
41:18there's 50 people
41:19in our team
41:20which is
41:20Dartmoor's
41:21search and
41:21rescue team
41:22Ashburton
41:22and we'll
41:23have about
41:2430 turn up
41:25we think
41:26that it's
41:27believed to
41:28be a dog
41:28is worth
41:29about 20
41:30foot team
41:30members
41:31so when we
41:31arrive
41:32so it's
41:32quite a big
41:33contribution
41:35to the
41:35search effort
41:35we'll keep
41:37searching
41:38until the
41:39person's
41:40accounted
41:40for
41:41or we can
41:42search no
41:43longer
41:43we're going
41:44to keep
41:44searching
41:44so we
41:45arrange
41:45search
41:46areas
41:46set up
41:47search
41:47areas
41:47and search
41:48them
41:48and the
41:50advantage
41:50that we
41:51have is
41:52that we
41:52will go
41:52out with
41:53a handler
41:53and I'll
41:53have one
41:54other person
41:54with me
41:54that we
41:55call them
41:55the nav
41:55but they
41:56also end
41:56up doing
41:56radios
41:57and helping
41:58with first
41:58aid
41:58and navigation
42:00whereas a
42:02normal team
42:02would be
42:02about a
42:03team of
42:03five
42:03and as
42:04Gu mentioned
42:05the way
42:05that they
42:06work the
42:06air
42:06the dog
42:07will be
42:07running
42:07away
42:07from us
42:08and could
42:09be a
42:10couple of
42:11hundred metres
42:11away
42:11and could
42:12be finding
42:12centre
42:12a couple of
42:13hundred metres
42:13more
42:13so they
42:14can cover
42:14a huge
42:15amount of
42:15ground
42:15and difficult
42:16ground as
42:17well
42:17they're very
42:17confident
42:18over rock
42:19they're very
42:20good with
42:20water
42:20they love
42:21to rain
42:22it doesn't
42:22matter
42:22the weather
42:23doesn't matter
42:23to them
42:24or to you
42:25if it's not
42:27raining it's
42:27not training
42:28and it doesn't
42:30matter
42:30most of our
42:32call outs
42:32are at night
42:33because that's
42:33when people
42:34are reported
42:34missing
42:35and also it's
42:36easier for us
42:36to search
42:37if the only
42:38people out there
42:39are the people
42:39we need to be
42:39looking for
42:40I've got to
42:40ask as well
42:41which of the
42:42dogs is the
42:43one that's
42:43got a thing
42:43about underpants
42:44it's goo
42:46talk me through
42:48that
42:49this is
42:50this is
42:51Jackie Chan's
42:52slightly niche
42:52area of search
42:53and rescue
42:54and I've always
42:55said that one
42:55of the problems
42:56with teaching a
42:57dog to hunt
42:57and find human
42:58scent is that
42:59it will hunt
43:00and find human
43:00scent and
43:01Jack seems to
43:02have a real
43:03penchant for
43:04finding underwear
43:05and he's found
43:06in excess of
43:0720 pairs
43:08of lost
43:09underwear
43:10on Dartmoor
43:1120 pairs
43:12well that is
43:12brilliant
43:13we're going to
43:13have to leave it
43:14there on that
43:15lovely note
43:16but you can find
43:16out lots more
43:17about Mountain
43:18Rescue Search
43:19Dogs England
43:19via the website
43:21below
43:21I think I've been
43:22replaced haven't I
43:23thanks so much
43:26for watching us
43:27today
43:27the phones have
43:28been non-stop
43:28great news
43:29plenty of calls
43:30about those
43:30stolen statues
43:31fantastic news
43:32isn't it
43:33remember if you've
43:34missed any of the
43:34shows this series
43:35head to iPlayer
43:36where you can
43:36catch up for up
43:37to 30 days
43:38after broadcast
43:39do you want to
43:39read this bit Mia
43:40no should we do it
43:41we'll see you the
43:42same time tomorrow
43:42for our last show
43:43of the series
43:44bye bye
43:45have a lovely day
43:53bye
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