Mike Devine, an engineer by trade, sent the message in April, when his band's singer forgot the words to the 1978 Clash song Tommy Gun. According to The Sun newspaper, he sent it to the wrong number and the recipient informed the police, alarmed by the message:
"How about this for Tommy Gun? Ok - So let's agree about the price and make it one jet airliner for ten prisoners."
Mr Devine was equally alarmed when a Special Branch officer from Avon and Somerset Police visited him at work earlier this week.
"He asked me lots of questions about my phone, such as was this my number and did I use it at the end of April. Then he produced a printout of a text and asked me if I had sent it," Devine told The Sun.
"It hadn't even occurred to me that it might look a bit dodgy," said Devine. The police accepted his explanation.