A businessperson who was thought to be part of a group that illegally moves money around has been sent to prison for sending fake bombs to lawyers who work for the police.
Jonathan Nuttall, who is 50 years old, asked his personal driver to hire a former marine named Michael Broddle to secretly watch two lawyers from the National Crime Agency (NCA), Andrew Sutcliffe KC and Anne Jeavons.
According to a court, he planned a scheme in which Broddle placed devices with Mr Sutcliffe’s name on them in London’s legal district in 2021.
Someone left one thing near a bench, and another thing outside the offices where Mr. Sutcliffe and Ms. Jeavons work
The first item, discovered by a porter, was determined to possibly be a bomb because it had a smoke grenade inside.
The second thing or plan was not going to work, but a smoke bomb was used instead to create a lot of fear or panic.
The lawyers represented the NCA (National Crime Agency) when they tried to take away £1. 4 million of belongings from him in a legal case at the High Court.
In 2019, it was agreed in court that Amanda, the wife, would pay £1. 4 million to the NCA. This settlement did not involve admitting any guilt.
She borrowed money to pay for the agreement, but the NCA did not want to take the cash because they were worried it may have come from illegal activities.
So, the agency wanted to take back Nuttall’s fancy house called Embley Manor in Hampshire.
The judge, Simon Mayo KC, sentenced Nuttall to eight years and two months in jail. He described the attack as malicious, bold, and very serious towards the people involved in the justice system.
You were supposed to disrupt the justice system.
I am completely certain that you wanted to cause serious harm through your planned actions.
It is very obvious that if those devices were left behind, many people would get scared and things would become very chaotic.
Mr Sutcliffe said in court that he was very surprised to be targeted in a way similar to how the Mafia operates, and he had never heard of anyone trying to disrupt a legal case in the UK like this before.
He said he was very worried and upset that his family was being watched.
Ms Jeavons said she was very upset and scared by a campaign that had a big effect on her and her family.
Nuttall and his driver, Michael Sode, aged 59, were found guilty of planning with Broddle, aged 47, to put an article somewhere on purpose.
Nuttall was found guilty of not following a notice, and Sode was also found guilty of a similar charge.
Sode got put in prison for six and a half years, while Broddle got put in prison for seven years.