Businessman Jonathan Nuttall, 50, has been found guilty at the Old Bailey of plotting to plant two bombs in London’s legal district.
He dreamt up the plan over a £1.4 million legal wrangle with the National Crime Agency.
He recruited Michael Broddle, 47, to plant two packages resembling explosive devices at Gray’s Inn barristers chambers on 14 September 2021.
Andrew Sutcliffe, KC, and Anne Jeavons had both acted for the National Crime Agency in the recovery of assets from Nuttall’s wife Amanda in 2019.
Shel had won £2.4m the lottery but the NCA suspected the couple of money laundering.
The former Marine set off smoke grenades causing buildings to be evacuated.
Jonathan Nuttall who has been found guilty at the Old Bailey of plotting to plant two bombs in London’s legal district over a £1.4 million legal wrangle with the National Crime Agency
He recruited Michael Broddle, 47, to plant two packages resembling explosive devices at Gray’s Inn barristers chambers on 14 September 2021. Broddle is pictured here
The packages were not real explosives and vibrated because a nose and ear trimmer had been placed inside.
He filmed himself wearing a white faceless horror mask as he printed out notes addressed to Mr Sutcliffe, including a photograph of the barrister alongside Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Broddle ran a security and surveillance company called Cheat Seekers.
He claimed he had provided private security work to former England international footballers including Rio Ferdinand.
Broddle admitted two counts of placing an article with intent and possession of an explosive substance.
Nuttall and his driver Michael Sode, 59, denied but were convicted of two counts of conspiracy to place an article with intent to induce the belief it would explode or ignite after a four month trial at the Old Bailey and 25 hours and 13 minutes of deliberation.
The jury found the businessman guilty by a majority of 10 to two.
Nuttall and his driver Michael Sode, 59, denied but were convicted of two counts of conspiracy to place an article with intent to induce the belief it would explode or ignite. Sode, seen here
Screen grab taken from body worn camera footage dated 17/3/2022 issued by Metropolitan Police of the arrest of Jonathan Nuttall
Broddle’s sons Joshua, 21, and Charlie, 19, denied and were cleared of the same charges.
Joshua and another son of Michael, 25-year-old George Gray, denied and were cleared of conspiracy to transfer criminal property.
Nuttall and Sode were convicted of the offence.
Charlie sobbed in the dock as his father and brother sighed in relief as the boys were cleared of the charges.
A total of £12,070 was transferred from Sode to Broddle between 30 September 2021 and 23 January 2022, the court heard.
One device was left near a bench on the Gray’s Inn estate while the other was left outside 3 Verulam Buildings.
Buildings were evacuated, roads cordoned off while 85 police officers were called to the heart of London’s legal district.
Screengrab taken from CCTV dated 14/9/2021 issued by Metropolitan Police of Michael Broddle leaving after planting a device which spewed smoke in Gray’s Inn in London
Jonathan Nuttall, 50, dreamt up the plan over a £1.4 million legal wrangle with the National Crime Agency
The packages addressed to Mr Sutcliffe were not real explosives and vibrated because a nose and ear trimmer had been placed inside.
Receptionist Erin Goldson told the court she was ‘petrified’ when she saw smoke rising outside the office.
Mr Sutcliffe was upstairs in his office when he was told the building needed to be evacuated.
Giving evidence the barrister told the court it was the first time he had been in chambers for six months due to the pandemic.
‘I had returned to my chambers from Yorkshire the day before. It was the first time I’d been in chambers for some time, because I’d spent the pandemic at home in Yorkshire.
‘I happened to be in the clerk’s room when the chamber’s administrator came up and said to all of us that we had to evacuate the building.
‘So I went back to my room, collected my keys and mobile phone and I left the building.
‘We were directed into Gray’s Inn Square and I was there for about three hours.
‘Some members of chambers just went home but I needed to get back into chambers, I had some work to do, so I stayed until I was able to get back.
He said the next day a detective came to see him at chambers.
‘I was very surprised he wanted to talk to me because I thought that I had nothing to tell.
‘I’d simply been in chambers the day before with everyone else and had simply evacuated as everyone else had.
‘He showed me his laptop which contained a photograph of a note left with the device which was addressed to me.’
The note referred to Mr Sutcliffe using his nickname ‘Sooty’.
The deputy High Court judge explained: ‘I was in the army for a short time at the end of the 1970s and for whatever reason my fellow army officers referred to me by that nickname.
‘It is not a nickname anybody else has given me and that was now over 40 years ago.
‘So I was frankly amazed to see that name had been used on that document because I couldn’t see how anyone who had been in the army with me could have been party to this document.
‘I was dumbfounded, frankly.’
The note also made some scandalous accusations about Mr Sutcliffe which were not read out in court.
Mr Sutcliffe said of the allegations: ‘I was obviously very shocked. I was totally shocked.’
The barrister was shown a video of a note being printed outside his London flat.
Read Related Also: Florida mom Brandy Hutchins shoots dead two kids and herself
The note was addressed to his daughter and said: ‘Hi [Mr Sutcliffe’s daughter]. Either Sooty QC stops digging his own grave or you will be raped whilst we dig up your brother’s grave.’
Mr Sutcliffe said he had a son who was born in June 1991 and died in November 1992 from septicaemia when he was just 17 months old.
Jurors were shown a video of a Broddle wearing a white faceless horror mask and a black hood as he breathed heavily and filmed himself printing out a note on a handheld printer.
The note finished with a photograph of Mr Sutcliffe’s parents and the photo of the lawyer posing with then Chancellor Rishi Sunak, which had appeared in the local press in Yorkshire.
Nuttall had recruited Broddle for a ‘targeted campaign of intimidation and public embarrassment’ against Mr Sutcliffe, said prosecutor Catherine Farrelly.
He had photographs of the homes of Mr Sutcliffe, his family and Anne Jeavons.
On 19 February 2021, Broddle and his son Joshua packed a sleeping bag, warm clothing and camping gear and travelled towards Sutcliffe’s home in Yorkshire and stayed overnight.
Police later recovered a surveillance report from Michael Broddle’s laptop named ‘Op Epic’ including three photographs of Mr Sutcliffe’s home and reports of attempts to gain access to the property.
A to-do list Broddle wrote on 18 May 2021 said: ‘Spend more time at Sooty’s family and friends.
‘Surprise [Mr Sutcliffe’s daughter] and remember to put condom on and smile…’
He also said he would visit the grave of Mr Sutcliffe’s son for ‘digging practice’.
Broddle also wrote a vile note addressed to Mr Sutcliffe’s daughter which said: ‘Either Sooty QC stops digging his own grave or you will be raped whilst we dig up your brother’s grave.’
Ms Farrelly said the devices planted by the former Marine were designed to cause serious panic, thereby drawing significant attention.
‘Andrew Sutcliffe was the clear target of the events at Gray’s Inn that afternoon.
‘The significant attention that surrounded those events was designed not only to cause widespread alarm but it was intended to specifically cause him alarm, distress and public and professional embarrassment.
‘Whoever was behind such an attack had clearly considered and planned it carefully.
‘Such a person must have had a deep-seated grudge against him and it would have required the means in which to execute such a bold and targeted strike against him.’
The National Crime Agency had been investigating Nuttall since 2011 on suspicion of money laundering and in April 2019 the £1.4m assets recovery order was made.
More than £25,000 in cash was found in his London flat and his home Embley Manor in Hampshire when he was arrested.
Mr Sutcliffe and Ms Jeavons both told police they thought Nuttall could be responsible for planting the fake bombs, saying it had been an ‘adversarial’ case.
He had made a 40 page complaint about the NCA and the lawyer’s conduct which the lawyer’s said contained untrue allegations, the court heard.
Nuttall said he was accused by the NCA of plotting to sell his hotel, The White Horse in Romsey.
He claimed he had attempted to refinance the hotel because of the disruption caused to his finances by the NCA action.
He claimed the allegations made by the NCA mirrored those made by his estranged brother, who he said was trying to blackmail the family because of his gambling debts.
Charlie Broddle was accused of waiting nearby and filming the arrival of police on his mobile while his father left the devices.
Joshua was accused of provided the packing for one of the devices in an envelope he handed to his father before they set off that day.
He claimed he had no knowledge of the planting of devices and had simply provided an empty envelope at his father’s request.
He said he would often go with his father on trips, sometimes in connection with surveillance work his father undertook, but he had no knowledge of Mr Sutcliffe or Ms Jeavons.
He said he went to Yorkshire because he loved spending time with his dad.
Charlie also said he didn’t know what his dad was doing that day.
In a text to an employer, Broddle said, ‘If I tell my kids to jump they’ll jump. I was made a widow, I’m from the royal marines. I’m a disciplinarian.’
If I tell my kids to write down that f-king God is a f-king football player, they’ll write it down. Know what I mean?’
Michael Broddle served as a Royal Marine commando for more than 11 years after joining in 1994 at the age of 17 and received training on improvised explosive devices.
But he was not prepared to identify the person or persons who instructed him to plant the fake bombs.
The judge had warned Broddle that the jury may draw a negative inference if he refused to answer a question, before asking him again.
‘I was given instructions by a voice,’ Broddle replied.
Nuttall also denied but was convicted of three counts of failing to comply with a notice by failing to disclose the PIN or passcode of phones and devices to police.
He was cleared of a further two counts.
Sode denied but was convicted of two one count of the same charge and was cleared of another.
They had claimed they were unable to remember the codes.
Nuttall, of Embley Lane, Romsey and Sode, of Fusion Apartments, Lewisham, denied but were convicted of two counts of conspiracy to place an article with intent to induce the belief it would explode or ignite.
Joshua and Charlie both of White Bear Lane, Hounslow, denied and were cleared of the two charges.
Michael Broddle, also of White Bear Lane, Hounslow, admitted the two counts and possession of an explosive substance.
Nuttall, Sode, Michael Broddle, denied but were convicted of conspiracy to transfer criminal property.
Joshua and Gray, of Harrow Road, Wembley, denied and were cleared of the charge.
They will be sentenced on a date to be fixed.
