Jonathan Nuttall planted two bombs in an attempt to humiliate the lawyers, the court heard (Image: Metropolitan Police)
A businessman plotted to plant two bombs in offices of London’s legal district in a bid to terrify and embarrass two lawyers.
Jonathan Nuttall, 50, of Romsey in Hampshire, has been found guilty of plotting to plant two bomb-like devices in Gray’s Inn as part of a grudge campaign against a senior lawyer.
He hatched a plot to target National Crime Agency lawyers Andrew Sutcliffe KC and Anne Jeavons, after becoming upset at the prospect of losing his stately home, Embley Manor in Romsey.
One object was left near a bench, and the other was deposited outside Mr Sutcliffe’s chambers.
The second device came equipped with a smoke grenade to ensure “maximum alarm was caused”, jurors heard.
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The device came with a note, which Prosecutor Catherine Farrelly said “made an extremely serious, scandalous and false allegation against Andrew Sutcliffe which I will not repeat word for word.”
She added: “The prosecution says that it is clear that that note was designed to cause maximum humiliation and professional embarrassment to Andrew Sutcliffe having been left outside his place of work.”
Nuttall harboured a “deep-seated grudge” against Mr Sutcliffe, she said, who was “shocked and appalled” on learning of the false allegations.
The businessman had been pursued by the NCA over the seizure of assets worth £1.4 million following a money laundering probe.
CCTV of the device outside the door that spewed smoke in Gray’s Inn in London (Image: Metropolitan Police / PA)
Michael Broddle was accused of roping his sons in as well, although they were acquitted (Image: Metropolitan Police)
The probe began in 2011 and involved an order in April 2019 for more than £1 million worth of assets being recovered from Nuttall’s wife, Amanda Nuttall, jurors were told.
The prosecution argued that Nuttall directed his animosity at the ruin of his reputation at the two lawyers involved.
He also roped in his driver, Michael Sode, 58, to act as a middleman, and former Royal Marine, Michael Broddle, 46, to plant the devices, the court heard.
Broddle in turn was accused of roping in sons Charlie, 18, and Joshua, 20 to help with the plan – although all the men denied the charges made against them.
Nuttall’s defence argued his wife Amanda won £2.4 million on the lottery the first time she bought a ticket. He went on to say while it was “extraordinarily good fortune”, “regrettably” most of it went to pay off his brother Philip’s debts.
The defendant had invited his brother to work with him and only later discovered his gambling habit, he claimed.
Later his business was classified as high risk when his brother stopped opening letters, resulting in the company failing to pay a bond.
The NCA’s freezing order had a catastrophic impact on Nuttall’s finances, he said, affecting the mortgage on his home Embley Manor and family members’ bank accounts.
Michael Sode was also found guilty in connection with the plot (Image: Metropolitan Police)
After 25 hours of deliberation the jury convicted Nuttall, Sode and Broddle – but Broddle’s three sons were acquitted of any wrongdoing.
Following the verdicts Commander Dominic Murphy of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command said: “Jonathan Nuttall orchestrated a chain of events in revenge against a barrister.
“He enlisted associates to wage a campaign of harassment and intimidation against the victim, culminating in the planting of explosive devices at the victim’s workplaces.
“Nuttall may have thought that paying others to carry out the crimes would ensure he was kept in the clear but specialist counter terrorism investigators diligently trawled through numerous text messages, computer files, bank records and hours of CCTV footage to identify those involved and their specific roles – including Nuttall at the head of it all.”
Nuttall, and Sode, of Deptford, south-east London, were found guilty of two charges of conspiring with Michael Broddle to place an article with intent on or before September 14 2021.
Nuttall, Sode, and Michael Broddle were convicted of conspiring to transfer criminal property.
And Nuttall was also convicted of two charges of failing to comply with a notice, while Sode was found guilty of one similar charge. The convicted defendants will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on September 22.
