Hypnotist jailed for stealing and selling intimate snaps of women for crypto cash
A ‘COMEDY hypnotist’ who boasts of ‘ messing with people’s minds’ is behind bars after stealing women’s intimate photos and selling them for thousands of pounds.
Robert Temple – a growing theatre sensation for his ‘outrageous’ stage show – was currently on his hit Red Raw tour, named after his trademark dyed red hair.
But the run has ended in disgrace as he was jailed for eight months this week after admitting hacking and fraud.
Unsuspecting audiences in towns including Burton-on-Trent – where the 36-year-old was due on-stage last night – were told the shows had been cancelled ‘due to unforeseen circumstances’. While Temple did not use hypnotism directly for crime – he never even met one vicexploited
‘He has exploited his gift in a very cruel manner’
tim – police believe he exploited other skills from his stage show.
‘ He didn’t have particular computing skills, so we think it was his ability to focus in on people’s personal information that enabled him to work out passwords,’ a source said. ‘ He had a gift for social engineering, which is undoubtedly part of his success as an entertainer, but, unfortunately, he’s exploited it in a very cruel manner.’
Among his two known victims is 29-year- old Ellie Norman, from Lincolnshire. While looking for a part-time job, she was contacted by a woman with whom she shared several friends offering her modelling work.
She turned down the offer – but later discovered her private photos had been used to set up Snapchat, Instagram and Tinder accounts in her name.
‘Friends told me about the fake profiles. They were really creepy,’ she told the Mail. It was only after detectives from the East Midlands cyber-crime unit contacted her that she realised the ‘woman’ was actually Temple using a fake identity. He was part of a seedy online forum where anonymous users request intimate photographs of named women in return for payment in untraceable cryptocurrency.
‘I’m just glad that he’s now locked up where he can’t target anyone else,’ said Miss Norman, an IT support worker who is engaged to Liam Atkin. ‘I want people to know how manipulative he is so they’re on their guard when he is released.’
Temple, of Bishop Auckland, County Durham, admitted two counts of hacking, three counts of fraud and one count of converting criminal property.
He was jailed for eight months at Teesside Crown Court.
Annette Thomas, of CPS East Midlands, branded Temple’s actions ‘utterly reprehensible’. ‘ Using insidious tactics, he these unsuspecting women by hacking into their social media accounts and sharing intimate images of them online, without their knowledge, all for financial greed,’ she said.
Police have urged people to protect themselves online by using different, strong passwords for email and social media accounts.
Anyone who believes they were targeted by Temple or the forum should report it to Action Fraud online or call 0300 123 2040.