User:Hillbillyholiday/Articles/Heinz Baby Food Scare of 1987

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Heinz baby food Paul Britton Jigsaw Man Pedigree Chum / Heinz baby-food 1988-9 Pedigree Pet Foods August 1988. A note attached to a tin of dog-food, demanding that the company pay: "£100,000 per year in order to prevent their products being contaminated with toxic substances." The message instructed that, "The accompanying tin...has had its contents mixed with toxic chemicals were selected because they are odourless, colourless and highly toxic."[1] The blackmailer warned that unless a total of half a million pounds was paid into various bank accounts, contaminated produce would reach supermarket shelves across the country.[2]

The demand was addressed to the company director by name, and had been produced on a

Reading, Glasgow, Exeter, and Aberystwyth.[6] In December, three stores found tins that had been tampered with on their shelves. The tins were found to have razor blades secreted within them. Fortunately, the affected products had been labelled with a warning.[7] Days before Christmas, the extortionist politely requested that the full £500,000 be paid immediately, else they would disclose details of the ongoing investigation to the the press.[8] Throughout January and February, the police observed as many cash machines as possible. The cost was estimated to be one million quid a week.[9]

On 22 March 1989 a letter was sent to

H. J. Heinz Company demanding £300,000. The writer stated that Heinz faced imminent and irreversible ruin if conditions were not met, and that they would contaminate the entire range of products with lethal substances. The anonymous blackmailer went on to say that many casualties would ensue before they were finished.[10]
That same day, a jar of Heinz baby-food laced with
caustic soda was delivered to a police station.[10]
Commander Malcolm Campbell of Scotland Yard led the investigation.[11]

Rodney Witchelo [12] £3.75 million demanded in total. Enough poison to kill over twenty babies. Heinz did not reveal that they were being blackmailed at the risk of copy-cat incidents. Hundreds of police officers involved in operation. Headlines for months. Unusual policeman aspect, credit to intuition of those investigating. Witchelo sentenced to 17 years(?), upheld on appeal. [13]

13 years(?) sentence Blackstone's [14]

New Statesman[15]

Chain Store Age[16]

Whitaker's Almanac[17]

17 years(?) The Independent[18]

Daily Mail[19] copycat case

Another copycat [20]

release of Whitchelo source??

ITN report, [21]

case feature on Supersleuths???

References

Britton, Paul (1998). The Jigsaw Man.
ISBN 0552144932
.
  1. ^ Britton 1998, p. 105 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFBritton1998 (help)
  2. ^ Britton 1998, p. 106 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFBritton1998 (help)
  3. ^ Britton 1998, p. 108-9 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFBritton1998 (help)
  4. ^ Britton 1998, p. 113-4 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFBritton1998 (help)
  5. ^ Britton 1998, p. 116 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFBritton1998 (help)
  6. ^ Britton 1998, p. 116-7 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFBritton1998 (help)
  7. ISBN 0552144932
    .
  8. ^ Britton 1998, p. 120 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFBritton1998 (help)
  9. ^ Britton 1998, p. 121 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFBritton1998 (help)
  10. ^ a b Britton 1998, p. 122 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFBritton1998 (help)
  11. ^ Britton 1998, p. 123 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFBritton1998 (help)
  12. ^ Britton 1998, p. 136 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFBritton1998 (help)
  13. ISBN 9780412571107
    .
  14. ISBN 9780191623981
    .
  15. ^ "..." New Statesman. Statesman & Nation Publishing Company Limited: 32. 1991. {{cite journal}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |journal= (help)
  16. ^ "." Chain Store Age. 74: 98. 1998.
  17. ISBN 9780850212204
    .
  18. ^ Cooper, Glenda (28 May 1996). "A long history of safety scares". The Independent.
  19. ^ "Supermarket blackmailer jailed for 16 years". Daily Mail.
  20. ^ "..." The Guardian. 08 April 1999. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ "Witchelo". ITN source. 15 December 1990.
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