Lover’s $30k blackmail
Mum threatens to tell man’s wife about affair
A WOMAN has pleaded guilty to blackmailing a man for $30,000, menacing him that if he didn’t pay up, she’d tell his wife about their sexual fling.
On Monday, Anita Ann Barker appeared in the Supreme Court of Tasmania, pleading guilty to one count of blackmail dating back to August 19, 2021, in Moonah.
Chief Justice Alan Blow heard that just four days earlier, the 33-year-old began communicating with a man on Snapchat.
Barker, a mother of two, said she wanted to earn extra money to help care for her children, with the pair exchanging messages and pornographic images of themselves.
By arrangement, Barker attended the man’s workshop in Moonah. The pair had a conversation and drank coffee together, before she pulled down his trousers and performed oral sex on him.
The man agreed to pay Barker small amounts of money – about $100 or $150 – to help her, rather than pay for sexual acts.
Later, Barker told him the $100 he’d sent her hadn’t arrived, so he sent her a screenshot of the transaction, which also revealed he had $45,000 in his bank.
On August 19, Barker attended the Moonah workshop again.
A man appeared and started yelling at the victim about sending sexual images to Barker, and that he needed to give him $50,000 or he’d tell his wife.
He said he’d followed the victim before and knew where he lived.
The victim said he didn’t have $50,000, so the man said “how about $30,000?”
They agreed, with the victim withdrawing $15,000 and handing it over in $1000 bundles.
The trio agreed to meet outside the Glenorchy Council Chambers the following day to secure the other $15,000.
When Barker was arrested, she said she hadn’t wanted to charge the victim for sexual acts, but “needed the money for rent”.
The Crown prosecutor sought a compensation order of $28,500 because $1500 had been seized from Barker’s cooffender, who she said had already been sentenced.
Defence lawyer Andrei Slicer said Barker admitted she’d made “impaired decisions”
that were impacted by use of the drug ice. He also said she’d only threatened to disclose the affair, and hadn’t threatened the victim with any harm.
Barker, who is on bail, will return to court on February 15.