Scottish tea swindler sentenced for defrauding luxury hotels

The former owner of Perthshire-based tea supplier Wee Tea Plantation has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison for two counts of fraud totalling nearly £600,000.

 

Thomas Robinson was found guilty by a jury at Falkirk Sheriff Court for falsely claiming he was growing and supplying Scottish tea through his business.

 

In reality, he sourced the tea from wholesalers outside Scotland, while misleading clients and investors with fabricated claims about cultivation techniques, qualifications and industry awards.

 

Robinson pretended he had used innovative growing techniques, including a biodegradable polymer, to cultivate premium Camellia Sinensis tea plants from an estate in Perthshire.

 

He then fraudulently sold the plants to high-profile clients in the hospitality sector, including Edinburgh’s Balmoral hotel and the Dorchester hotel in London, as well as retailers, between January 2014 and February 2019.

 

He also told prospective growers, clients and the wider public that he had sold the tea to Kensington Palace and claimed it was a favourite of the late Queen Elizabeth.

 

But the court heard he was importing the plants for three Euros each – around £2.50 – and collecting them from a mailbox in Glasgow.

 

He was then selling them for £12.50 each while insisting to clients and retailers that they were a sound financial investment.

 

The court heard that his fraudulent activity caused financial losses totalling £584,738.

 

Robinson’s conviction followed an investigation by Food Standards Scotland’s (FSS) Scottish Food Crime and Incidents Unit (SFCIU) into his activities.

 

SFCIU’s head Ron McNaughton said: “We welcome the sentencing as a clear signal that food fraud is a serious crime with serious consequences. A three-and-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.”

 

Helen Nisbet, procurator fiscal for Tayside, Central and Fife, said it was a “planned and deliberate fraud”.

 

“Fraud is not a victimless crime. Individuals, businesses and genuine Scottish tea growers suffered financial and reputational harm as a consequence of Robinson’s deceit,” she added.

 

“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.”

 

Wee Tea Plantation was struck from the Companies House register when it was dissolved in October 2019.

 

Image: Shutterstock/Phanphen Kaewwannarat