An Englishman was arrested today in Bangkok after threatening to inject food in Tesco Lotus stores with poison.
He sent an email to the Tesco Company headquarters in England, said he wanted an amount, equal to 130 million Baht, if the company wanted to avoid the poisoning.
The English police traced the email to an internet cafe in Bangkok.
Because the cafe had web-cameraes installed, it was an easy match for the Thai police to arrest the Englishman.
This was a story from in the Thai tv-news a couple of minutes ago.
Englishman arrested in Bangkok
Englishman arrested in Bangkok
I intend to live forever - so far so good.
Yeh, I saw this a couple of days ago in the Bankok Post. The Brit police where already in BKK and were going through the cctv cams in the internet cafe. Never thought they'd trace the guy though.
Was there any more to the story? Was the guy a nutter or seriously thinking he could get some money from this?
Was there any more to the story? Was the guy a nutter or seriously thinking he could get some money from this?
Here is more info from the Nation:
The hunt by British and Thai police for a blackmailer who threatened to poison food in a Tesco outlet if he was not given ฃ2 million (Bt137 million) ended with the arrest of a British man, who said he needed the money to get a business started in Bangkok.
Alexander John Winstone, 36, said he had no accomplice.
Married to a Thai woman, the Briton said he simply wanted to settle down in Thailand and open an Internet cafe near the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre.
Winstone said he felt the giant retailer would have no problem paying the money because it was a very profitable business.
"Of course, I now realise that my actions were very wrong," Winstone said in a letter he wrote after his arrest.
He was nabbed at 8pm on Thursday just as he walked out of an Internet cafe in Soi Nana after he sent the seventh blackmail e-mail to a top executive of Tesco.
In it he threatened to poison food sold in the chain's outlet and then tell British media about the poisoning incident if he was not given ฃ2 million. The e-mail also stated how the Tesco should pay the money via Internet banking.
"I now recognise that what I did was very misguided, a silly idea that I took too far. I would like to stress that it was never my intention to cause anybody any harm or hurt, and as I was working alone it was impossible for me to do so," a part of Winstone's letter said.
He also offered his apologies to the people of Thailand, Tesco and the Royal Thai and British police forces.
Thai police announced the arrest of Winstone yesterday.
"The threat involves a large amount of money. It has been big news in Britain," Deputy National Police Commissioner General Issaraphan Sanitwong na Ayutthaya said.
Britain's Scotland Yard alerted Thai Police after investigations showed six blackmails had been sent from five Internet cafes in Bangkok's Soi Nana. Recordings from a closed-circuit TV system revealed Winstone had been the only customer at the Internet caf้ from which the blackmails were sent.
Both Thai and British police subsequently scoured the Soi Nana area for the man captured in the recordings.
Winstone confessed on arrest.
He was living in an apartment in Soi Nana.
Issaraphan said Winstone would face up to five years in jail if convicted.
Andy Pearce of the British Embassy in Bangkok said prosecution of Winstone would proceed in line with Thai law. He declined to comment on whether he would be deported.
Winstone completed secondary education in Britain and worked as a driver there. He bought some stocks and had some savings when he came to Thailand.
He first travelled to Thailand in 2004, since when he has made several visits to the country.
Winstone told police that he had been running out of money when he decided to resort to blackmail.
The hunt by British and Thai police for a blackmailer who threatened to poison food in a Tesco outlet if he was not given ฃ2 million (Bt137 million) ended with the arrest of a British man, who said he needed the money to get a business started in Bangkok.
Alexander John Winstone, 36, said he had no accomplice.
Married to a Thai woman, the Briton said he simply wanted to settle down in Thailand and open an Internet cafe near the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre.
Winstone said he felt the giant retailer would have no problem paying the money because it was a very profitable business.
"Of course, I now realise that my actions were very wrong," Winstone said in a letter he wrote after his arrest.
He was nabbed at 8pm on Thursday just as he walked out of an Internet cafe in Soi Nana after he sent the seventh blackmail e-mail to a top executive of Tesco.
In it he threatened to poison food sold in the chain's outlet and then tell British media about the poisoning incident if he was not given ฃ2 million. The e-mail also stated how the Tesco should pay the money via Internet banking.
"I now recognise that what I did was very misguided, a silly idea that I took too far. I would like to stress that it was never my intention to cause anybody any harm or hurt, and as I was working alone it was impossible for me to do so," a part of Winstone's letter said.
He also offered his apologies to the people of Thailand, Tesco and the Royal Thai and British police forces.
Thai police announced the arrest of Winstone yesterday.
"The threat involves a large amount of money. It has been big news in Britain," Deputy National Police Commissioner General Issaraphan Sanitwong na Ayutthaya said.
Britain's Scotland Yard alerted Thai Police after investigations showed six blackmails had been sent from five Internet cafes in Bangkok's Soi Nana. Recordings from a closed-circuit TV system revealed Winstone had been the only customer at the Internet caf้ from which the blackmails were sent.
Both Thai and British police subsequently scoured the Soi Nana area for the man captured in the recordings.
Winstone confessed on arrest.
He was living in an apartment in Soi Nana.
Issaraphan said Winstone would face up to five years in jail if convicted.
Andy Pearce of the British Embassy in Bangkok said prosecution of Winstone would proceed in line with Thai law. He declined to comment on whether he would be deported.
Winstone completed secondary education in Britain and worked as a driver there. He bought some stocks and had some savings when he came to Thailand.
He first travelled to Thailand in 2004, since when he has made several visits to the country.
Winstone told police that he had been running out of money when he decided to resort to blackmail.
I intend to live forever - so far so good.
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redzonerocker
- Rock Star
- Posts: 4777
- Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2007 3:55 pm
- Location: England
blackmail
a genuine criminal mastermind if ever i saw one 
not quite big news in the uk, never knew anything about it til i saw it on hhad!
not quite big news in the uk, never knew anything about it til i saw it on hhad!
Remember, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
I have one word to describe him "Wanker" and should get all he deserves and made to serve his sentance in Thai Jails not sent back to the UK.
If he goes back, we end up paying for him to serve his sentence there.
I hope he gets all that is coming to him, no sympathy at all.
If he goes back, we end up paying for him to serve his sentence there.
I hope he gets all that is coming to him, no sympathy at all.
Always Borrow Money from a Pesimist. "They Never Expect it Back"
Yet more losers are trying to come here without the means to support themselves. Bringing over a couple of million baht and splurging it will leave you broke, the sooner people realise this the better.
In part the British Embassy needs to start advising its citizens how to live in LOS. As it is we're getting idiots who come over now thinking they're above the law because they're farang foreigners and have more money than the locals. All the nitty gritty about life in LOS needs to be produced and disseminated on the planes the farang are travelling on, cause until they do we're gonna see more village idiots like this one.
For those guys who think that massive amounts of money brought into in Thailand (without investing it wisely)...
YOU WILL RUN OUT OF MONEY!
I don't know what this guy was smoking or on at the time but thats just plain daft trying to con Tescos. The guys 36 years old and should be way smarter than that!
Once again the Brits get made to look like the bad guys because of this prick.
In part the British Embassy needs to start advising its citizens how to live in LOS. As it is we're getting idiots who come over now thinking they're above the law because they're farang foreigners and have more money than the locals. All the nitty gritty about life in LOS needs to be produced and disseminated on the planes the farang are travelling on, cause until they do we're gonna see more village idiots like this one.
For those guys who think that massive amounts of money brought into in Thailand (without investing it wisely)...
YOU WILL RUN OUT OF MONEY!
I don't know what this guy was smoking or on at the time but thats just plain daft trying to con Tescos. The guys 36 years old and should be way smarter than that!
Once again the Brits get made to look like the bad guys because of this prick.
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The understudy
- Ace
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- Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2003 12:16 pm
- Location: Hua Hin, Bangkok, Berlin, L. A. rotating
Hey Rider I agree with you there plus I have one advice to the British foreign services to make a Documentry Movie about life in LoS and make it mandatory for all flights to Thailand. This is a measure to deter those Village Idiots to get carried away by the LoS and make perfectly clear no one is above the Law.
I think this was one of those guys who bought vast amount s of money and aparenlty ran out of it. Now He don't wanna go back to ol blithy and came up with the Plot. A wannabe Conmen easily caught. Now I hope He get sentenced five to 15 years @ the famous Jail in Bangkok called by Farangs "The Bangkok Hilton!!!" A. K. A. Bangkwang Prison
Your's the understudy!
I think this was one of those guys who bought vast amount s of money and aparenlty ran out of it. Now He don't wanna go back to ol blithy and came up with the Plot. A wannabe Conmen easily caught. Now I hope He get sentenced five to 15 years @ the famous Jail in Bangkok called by Farangs "The Bangkok Hilton!!!" A. K. A. Bangkwang Prison
Your's the understudy!
In Love with Hua Hin since 19naughty9 and it ain't fading!!!
(My fable for All Things Japanese knows no boundaries!) Proud Student of Stamford University Hua Hin Campus from 1999 to 2004 (5th Batch of Graduates.)
“Once you survive Stamford U Hua Hin Campus only you can survive anything!!!”
(My fable for All Things Japanese knows no boundaries!) Proud Student of Stamford University Hua Hin Campus from 1999 to 2004 (5th Batch of Graduates.)
“Once you survive Stamford U Hua Hin Campus only you can survive anything!!!”
What a good reason that one, then we should all start stealing from the other people/companies, because they have more money than us!Winstone said he felt the giant retailer would have no problem paying the money because it was a very profitable business.
I believe this idiot has consumed too much disco biscuits during his spending spree here and not only ran out of money but brain cells as well.
I feel no pity for him and believe he deserves a good reality-check in a Thai prison.
Say mai penrai live longer!
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redzonerocker
- Rock Star
- Posts: 4777
- Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2007 3:55 pm
- Location: England
idiot
but he did apologise & did admit that it was a foolish idea
you couldnt make up a story like this! what a clown!
you couldnt make up a story like this! what a clown!
Remember, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.