A businessman with a “deep-seated grudge” against two lawyers at the National Crime Agency has been found guilty of planting two devices resembling bombs at the heart of London’s legal district to intimidate them. Jonathan Nuttall, 50, was convicted at the Old Bailey of planning to plant the explosives over a £1.4m legal dispute with the NCA, which put him at risk of losing his stately home, Embley Manor in Hampshire. Nuttall orchestrated the plot aimed at two NCA lawyers, Andrew Sutcliffe KC and Anne Jeavons, who the court heard were targeted because they had been acting for the NCA in a case against Nuttall’s wife, Amanda. Suspicions of money laundering and other offences had led to an order being made for the recovery of more than £1m of assets from her in 2019. On Friday Nuttall was convicted of conspiring with his driver, Michael Sode, and an ex-marine, Michael Broddle, to plant the devices. Broddle, 46, of Hounslow in west London, pleaded guilty to planting the devices and said he did so as part of a conspiracy. The Old Bailey heard that Sode, 58, was the “middleman” in the plan who recruited Broddle to carry out research and reconnaissance on the lawyers. The former marine was also accused of embroiling his sons – Charlie, 18, and Joshua, 20 – in the plan, but they were acquitted after a 25-hour jury deliberation. At the opening of the trial the court heard that on the afternoon of 14 September 2021, one of the devices – which was later found to be “potentially viable” since it contained a smoke grenade – was left close to a bench in Gray’s Inn Square. The other was left outside 3 Verulam Buildings, the chambers where the barristers worked, and a smoke grenade let off to ensure “maximum alarm was caused”. Opening the prosecution case, Catherine Farrelly told the court: “These devices were left in both locations with a quite clear objective – to cause serious panic, thereby drawing significant attention. As you will hear, the objectives were accomplished: buildings were evacuated, roads cordoned off and a large number of police officers attended the scene.” She said that forensic analysis suggested that the device left close to the bench was “potentially viable”. The other was not but “clearly designed to have the appearance of an improvised explosive device”. Both devices were accompanied by envelopes or packages with Sutcliffe’s name on them – one with a note containing a serious, false allegation against him – indicating that he was the “clear target” of events designed to “specifically cause him alarm, distress and public and professional embarrassment”, the court heard. Jurors were also told that Broddle had been conducting research and surveillance on the two barristers and their families for at least six months beforehand. Farrelly said that a recording from Broddle’s mobile phone made on 19 May 2021 showed a note being left at the entrance to Sutcliffe’s home, directed at his daughter, which said: “Either Sooty [Sutcliffe] QC stops digging his own grave or you will be raped whilst we dig up your brother[’s] grave.” The barrister later confirmed that, as far as he was aware, the note had not been found by anyone in his family or any of his neighbours, said Farrelly. Nuttall and Sode were convicted of two counts of conspiracy to place an article with intent to induce the belief it would explode or ignite. Broddle admitted the two counts and possession of an explosive substance. They will be sentenced at a later date.