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

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." 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.

The demand was addressed to the company director by name, and had been produced on a typewriter, then photocopied, leaving no trace of fingerprints. On Britton's advice the company agreed to pay a limited amount to prevent injury and loss of brand reputation. After replying through The Daily Telegraph as requested, the police were presented with a list of different bank accounts (opened by "John and Sandra Norman"), into which the money was to be paid. With thousands of ATMs nationwide, the Leicestershire CID were forced to mount Operation Roach, one of the largest undercover surveillance operations ever conducted in the UK. Withdrawals were made at various places across the UK, the unknown account holder traveling as far a field as Reading, Glasgow, Exeter, and Aberystwyth. 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. 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. Throughout January and February, the police observed as many cash machines as possible. The cost was estimated to be one million quid a week.

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. That same day, a jar of Heinz baby-food laced with caustic soda was delivered to a police station. Commander Malcolm Campbell of Scotland Yard led the investigation.

Rodney Witchelo £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 years(?) sentence Blackstone's

New Statesman

Chain Store Age

Whitaker's Almanac

17 years(?) The Independent

Daily Mail copycat case

Another copycat

release of Whitchelo source??

ITN report,

case feature on Supersleuths???