I’ve been tipped off to the following Press Association story, and figured it would make for a perfect end-of-the-working-day respite from MPs and their expenses. Do make sure to read to the last paragraph – that’s where the punch-line is, so to speak:
Man jailed for Tesco blackmail plot
Press Association
Monday January 28, 2008 12:48 PM
A former tax inspector has been jailed for six years for a £1 million blackmail plot against supermarket chain Tesco.
Philip McHugh, of Milton Avenue, Clitheroe, Lancashire, sent 76 letters threatening to bomb Tesco stores across Britain last summer.
The 52-year-old also threatened to contaminate Tesco products if they refused to comply with his demand for money.
The judge at St Albans Crown Court said McHugh was guilty of a sustained and serious effort to extort money from the chain.
McHugh, who was addicted to online gambling and had debts of £37,000, began his campaign last May with a series of letters to Tesco offices in Dundee.
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