Gray's Inn fake bomb plot: Businessman found guilty

Jonathan Nuttall was found guilty of various offences

A wealthy businessman who recruited a group of men to plant fake bombs in a London legal area over a "grudge" has been found guilty of various offences.

Jonathan Nuttall, 50, from Romsey in Hampshire, was behind two packages designed to resemble explosive devices which were left at Gray's Inn in 2021.

The jury heard it was the result of the "embarrassment" felt by Nuttall over an investigation into him and his wife.

Nuttall and two other men were convicted at the Old Bailey.

The two devices were accompanied by envelopes marked with the name of a senior barrister, Andrew Sutcliffe KC, who worked in one of the barristers' chambers.

• Lotto winner ordered to hand over assets

The prosecution said Mr Sutcliffe was the "clear target" as in 2015 he had been instructed by the National Crime Agency (NCA) to conduct legal proceedings against Nuttall and his wife Amanda, which resulted in £1m of assets being recovered from Amanda Nuttall.

Prosecutor Catherine Farrelly told the jury it was "clear that Jonathan Nuttall perceived the NCA case as causing him and his family public embarrassment and ruining their reputation and he was not willing to accept that".

It was claimed that Michael Sode, 59, from Deptford, who was Jonathan Nuttall's driver, had recruited his close associate, former Royal Marine Michael Broddle, 47, from west London, to plant the devices.

Broddle's two sons, Charlie Broddle, 19 and Joshua Broddle, aged 21, were both accused of helping him. Both were cleared of all charges.

Vibrating envelope

On 18 February 2021, Michael and Joshua Broddle travelled north to the home address of Andrew Sutcliffe, the court heard.

Police later seized a laptop from Michael Broddle's home containing a surveillance report and three photographs of Mr Sutcliffe's home.

The jury heard Broddle had bought smoke grenades and in August and September 2021 received payments from Sode totalling thousands of pounds.

The materials seized by the Met Police

One of the porters at Gray's Inn, Morris Johnson, gave evidence at the Old Bailey trial about how he discovered one of the devices in September that year in an A5 envelope which was sealed and "vibrating."

A receptionist in Gray's Inn also told the court how she saw a man dressed all in black with a face mask walk past and then heard the sound of a thump and smoke rising before the figure walked past her again.

'Maximum alarm'

"This was Michael Broddle depositing the other device," said the prosecutor Catherine Farrelly, telling the jury that the smoke grenade was let off to ensure the device did not go unnoticed and "maximum alarm" was caused.

Security staff and managers then found the second package on top of a planter and inside could see a series of tubes connected by wires attached to a mobile telephone and called the police.

The court heard that 85 police officers as well as fire and ambulance services attended the scene.

Giving evidence in his defence, Jonathan Nuttall denied that he paid Michael Broddle for the activities that he had engaged him to do or that he paid any "hush money" to keep him quiet afterwards.

Following the trial:

• Nuttall and Sode were each found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to place an article with intent and one count of conspiracy to transfer criminal property

• Charlie Broddle and Joshua Broddle were cleared of those charges

• Charlie Broddle was also acquitted of possessing an explosive substance

• Michael Broddle previously pleaded guilty to two charges of placing an article with intent and two charges of possessing an explosive substance. On Friday he was convicted of a charge of conspiracy to transfer criminal property

• Nuttall was convicted of two charges of failing to comply with a notice to disclose the PIN or passcode of phones and devices, but acquitted of two similar charges

• Sode was convicted of one charge of failing to comply with a notice and cleared of another

• George Gray, 25, from Hounslow, was cleared of conspiring to transfer criminal property

Both Nuttall and Sode were remanded in custody.

Sentencing was adjourned until 22 September.

Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail]