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'Del Boy' who swindled luxury hotels into buying 500k of fake tea faces fresh legal bid

Thomas Robinson, 55, was jailed for more than three years in June for his greedy plot in 'tea-ricking' businesses across the UK into buying his apparently Scottish-grown drink

[Thomas Robinson]

Thomas Robinson was also known as Tam O'Brann from the Wee Tea Plantation(Image: James Chapelard / SWNS)

A Scottish 'Del Boy' conman who flogged more than 500,000 worth of fake tea to swanky hotels is now facing fresh legal action to pay back his ill-gotten gains. Thomas Robinson, 55, was jailed for three years in June for duping the hotels into buying his supposedly Scottish-cultivated tea.

He claimed to grow the leaves at a plantation called The Wee Tea Plantation on agricultural land in Perthshire. But the swindler from Dunkeld in Perth and Kinross merely planted tea bushes as a facade, then imported over a tonne of tea from abroad and repackaged it. In truth, Robinson bought the tea from Italian wholesalers for 3 (2.60) before flogging it to retailers at five times the original price.

[Thomas Robinson]

Robinson's plan was an audacious one(Image: Daily Record)

The swindle was likened to Derek Trotter's Peckham Spring scam in the TV comedy Only Fools and Horses, where Del Boy fills bottles with water from his kitchen tap to sell on at a considerable profit.

His customers included Edinburgh's plush Balmoral and the Dorchester in London, reports the Daily Record. The chancer even boasted that the tea he supplied to five-star Dorchester was "the Queen's favourite".

Robinson also fabricated his academic status by falsely claiming he had qualifications in agronomy and agriculture and had obtained awards for his tea from industry bodies. His scheme was unravelled following an investigation by Food Standards Scotland into his activities.

[Thomas Robinson]

The fraudster's tea was only worth a fifth of what he sold it for (Image: Daily Record)

A jury found him guilty of two charges of being concerned in a fraudulent scheme in May and he was sentenced at Stirling Sheriff Court in June. Now, prosecutors have launched a bid to claw back the cash he obtained through the scam.

Proceeds of Crime action was formally raised at a confiscation hearing at Stirling Sheriff Court on October 1. The probe will examine how much the father-of-four profited from the scheme and will look at exactly how much he can afford to pay back.

During his illicit scheme, which took place between January 2014 and February 2019, he defrauded tea growers of 274,354, and hotel and tea companies of 278,634.

[Robinson planted tea bushes as a facade]

Robinson planted tea bushes as a facade(Image: Daily Record)

Robinson tried to deny the crimes by claiming paperwork for his defence had been destroyed in a flood and his electronic records had been lost.

He told his customers he was a polymer scientist, had invented the "Bag For Life", served in the Army in bomb disposal and worked for ex-US president Barack Obama's administration on a maize project.

Prosecutors described this as "the CV of a fantasist". When a Scottish Government adviser asked Robinson about his plant passports, he insisted all the plants were for his own use.

[Robinson was said to have the CV of a fantasist]

Robinson was said to have the CV of a fantasist(Image: James Chapelard / SWNS)

He went on to attempt to cover himself up by sending a story to the local press, claiming thousands of his plants had been stolen. An initial hearing took place earlier this month with a further Proceeds of Crime hearing to take place on December 16.

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