Thursday 14 - Morning Star Online

A TEENAGE employee of security firm G4S has admitted to a bomb hoax but denies blackmailing the manager of a site in Teesside.

Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday that Daniel Garland, 19, had threatened to blow up vehicles and storm a depot with weapons.

An anonymous letter was sent to manager Christopher Wilcox demanding £1 million, threatening to set off explosions and implying that a newborn baby and her mother would be harmed if the demands were not met.

The police were informed of the incident, which took place in Thornaby in January, and vehicles were checked.

From the level of information in the letter, police believed it had been written by an employee and they went on to identify Mr Garland as a suspect, later finding a copy of it in his home.

Last December, a G4S van was robbed in Middlesbrough and the raiders have not been caught.

The author claimed responsibility, naming two employees as “inside men.”

Mr Wilcox admitted that he had once shouted at the teenager when £13,000 went missing. Although the money was later accounted for, he offered no apology.

Mr Garland, of Chester-le-Street, County Durham, denies two counts of blackmail.

The trial continues.

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