It was a scheme involving M15, a castle in Scotland,
a multi-millionaire businessman and some notorious London criminals.

The words `kidnap', `torture', `blackmail' and 'Coll' do not, fortunately, usually occur together. Imagine then, the surprise and astonishment occasioned by headlines which read `Plan to Torture Rich Businessman', `Kidnap and Murder Plot Denied' - with each and every news item carrying a small paragraph mentioning Breacachadh Castle on the Isle of Coll in the Inner Hebrides.

The plot, it seems, had been brewing for some time, but only hit the national newspapers prior to the trial of Sachaverell de Houghton, aged 56, a graduate of Oxford University, former friend of Lord Lucan and mastermind behind the criminal plan.

Three years ago the New Castle at Breacachadh was for sale and it was at this time that the Forbes family was approached by de Houghton with a view to the possible purchase of the property. He does not appear to have ever visited the island to look at the Castle and, as it was revealed at the trial, it was pure chance that the New Castle was selected from a number of other vacant and isolated properties in the British Isles. An alternative base had been an estate in Cornwall.

De Houghton was at this time serving a prison sentence for blackmail and the plot was hatched and masterminded from his prison cell. Following negotiations to purchase the New Castle, he then produced headed stationery with the address `Breacachadh Castle' and a bogus coat of arms.

Soon letters began arriving on the island addressed to him at Breachachadh Castle. They were delivered to Lavinia Bristol at the Old Castle and inadvertently opened by her. Another letter arrived from De Houghton himself announcing his future presence as a neighbour - but certain inconsistencies made Lavinia suspicious.

The Stewart family in Selkirk also became peripherally involved when they received a typewritten letter from De Houghton asking if they would sell `the Superiority of the Castle' - a peculiarity of the Scottish legal system, rather like buying or selling a barony. Mr and Mrs Stewart replied to say that if and when he owned the castle, they might consider the matter. They already knew, through communications with the Forbes family, that the sale had not taken place.

These and other communications between agents, solicitors and the three families of the two Castles were not themselves of much interest until September 1996 when the aforementioned news items began to appear in the national newspapers.

It was reported that `an Old Bailey jury was told that a convicted kidnapper hatched a sophisticated plan from his high-security prison cell to abduct, torture and murder a wealthy businessman in an attempt to extort £20 million.' The court was told that the businessman was to have been held on a remote island in the Hebrides, injected with heroin and forced to authorise money transfers.

De Houghton, known as Sacha to his friends, had set out to convince this businessman - referred to only as Mr G. - that he was a well-heeled aristocrat who owned priceless pieces of medieval furniture. De Houghton knew Mr G to be a collector of fine furniture and convinced him by letter that he had valuable items to sell from Breacachadh Castle in the Hebrides. Mr G was interested in this proposition: " (It ) captured my imagination because it purported to he for furniture which had never been on sale before."

In this way the businessman was to be lured to the island and held captive. It was even alleged that De Houghton planned to murder his prisoner once the £20 million ransom had been secured.

The plot was however infiltrated by an undercover detective who, posing as a criminal, had been able to get himself recruited by De Houghton as an assistant outside the prison. In taping conversations and taking copies of incrimiating letters, he enabled the police to move in in February 1996, closely followed by the arrest of the conspirators.

Nick and Lavinia Bristol happened to be in London at the time of the grand trial at the Old Bailey and they took the opportunity to attend for the day - it is not often such scandal touches, however marginally, the lives of the islanders.

De Houghton was jailed for life for his part in the conspiracy. It is interesting to reflect on what we might have seen and heard had the whole scheme actually come to fruition. A certain notoriety for the island, undoubtedly. All things considered however, a small bit of 'fame' as a by-product of a failed plot is a lot easier to live with than the possible consequences of such criminality in close proximity.