Real Crime: The Tesco Bomber

ITV1 (1 x 60 mins)

It was a crime that would grip the nation and lead to the biggest manhunt in Dorset police's history, as a seemingly ruthless bomber embarked on a campaign of terror against the customers of the country's largest and most ubiquitous supermarket chain, in the hope of blackmailing the company for millions of pounds.

During August 2000, in a quiet suburban area of Bournemouth, fifty-year old father of two Robert Dyer began his six-month extortion campaign against Tesco, targeting the supermarket's customers with a wave of letter bombs and threats. With the potential to endanger hundreds of innocent lives and lead to losses that could amount to millions for Tesco, Dyer's campaign saw the mobilisation of the biggest operation Dorset Police had ever undertaken, as they painstakingly set about tracking him down.

Presented by Mark Austin, The Tesco Bomber tells the thrilling story of the 'perfect' crime that went wrong and the police operation that foiled it. From its copycat inspiration and flawed execution to the final trial that fully exposed the blackmailers ineptitude; it's a gripping insight into a remarkable…. Real Crime.