Money was a motivation for 1080 blackmailer Jeremy Kerr the High Court has ruled.
Chief High Court judge Geoffrey Venning said financial gain from increased sales of his own rival pest control product was a factor, even though Kerr didn't know how much he would gain.
Justice Venning said Kerr was under financial pressure at the time he sent letters threatening to release 1080-laced baby formula in the Chinese market and one other market unless the poison was banned.
The 60-year-old from Mellons Bay, East Auckland, pleaded guilty in December to two counts of blackmail but did not accept the assertion his actions were motivated by money.
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