Blackmailing sex worker drove man to brink of suicide
A twisted sex worker who pushed a married man to the brink of suicide by threatening to expose his sleazy secrets has admitted extortion.
East Kilbride mum Jade Crawford blackmailed two men who had requested her adult services online, making off with £310.
The 23-year-old former St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School pupil was forced to flee the town when her crimes came to light earlier this year.
She is facing jail after pleading guilty to two charges of extortion.
Hamilton Sheriff Court heard how Crawford was advertising her services as ‘ChantelleEK’ on the website AdultWork.com when she was contacted by the men looking for an escort.
Fiscal depute Michael Mackintosh told the court that one of the men, who claimed to be in a non-physical relationship with his wife and was a regular user of the site, became suicidal when Crawford began blackmailing him.
Mr Mackintosh said: “He checked the website and saw a female was to his liking by the name ChantelleEK and sent her an email indicating an interest in certain services.
“An arrangement was made for the female to attend his home address.
“He paid £40 by bank transfer and a further £8 after she encountered transport difficulties but the escort did not attend and he asked why.
“She made reference to medical issues and he asked for a refund.”
Just days after the escort did not show up at his Lanarkshire home he started receiving threatening messages on his phone via Whatsapp. One message read: “Does your wife know you see escorts?”
A photo of the complainer with his wife believed to have been taken from his Facebook profile was then sent to him with the message: “It would be a shame for her to know what you’ve been up to.”
His children’s names were also listed along with a further message which read: “Gosh what would they think.”
He was threatened with exposure if he didn’t pay up which led him to have suicidal thoughts.
The fiscal depute added: “He was so troubled by the position he had got himself into he considered taking his own life.
“He contacted the Samaritans and was advised to contact the police.”
The man was described as “highly agitated” and “in tears” when he reported the matter to police.
An Ayrshire man also alerted cops after paying Crawford £150 to stay quiet.
Crawford threatened to tell his wife what he had been doing, texting him: “My boss is not happy at you for wasting my time”, and, naming his wife, she added: “She won’t be happy you are messaging escorts.”
Cops linked both incidents and arrested Crawford at her former home in Hawthorn Terrace, Greenhills.
The court heard she denied the allegations despite both of her parents confirming her mobile phone number.
Crawford was snared when officers carried out a search of her East Kilbride home and found the device hidden under a towel in the bathroom.
A bank card corresponding to the details payments were made to was found in her bedroom drawer.
Andy Thomson, defending, told Sheriff Ray Small his client had moved away from East Kilbride due to these incidents.
Crawford, now of Possil, Glasgow, was bailed and will be sentenced on December 4.