Blackmailer threatened to expose teenager’s sex video
A BLACKMAILER threatened to put an indecent video of a young woman on Facebook unless she handed over £500 - or send another sex film.
Gambling addict, Anish Mistry, obtained intimate footage of the 18-year-old after she voluntarily sent it to someone she did not know via the Whisper social networking site a year earlier.
Leicester Crown Court was told the defendant later posed as a female with a fake Facebook account, to make demands via messages to her boyfriend.
Mistry (24), of Maclean Avenue, Loughborough, demanded cash or another explicit video of the victim to avoid it being sent to her family and friends on Facebook.
The distressed teenager, from Leicestershire, then reported the matter to the police and the defendant was traced through his internet provider.
Mistry pleaded guilty to blackmail, by making unwarranted demands for money with menaces, in August last year.
Judge Nicholas Dean QC said: “I don’t know if it was you who was originally in contact with the complainant and persuaded her to do what she did by producing the video; the contents of which we know about. It is of an intimate nature.
“You were, at the time, a gambling addict and still are no doubt.
“You realised it was a way of extorting money from her and her boyfriend and attempted to extort £500.
“It was done in a basic way and wasn’t sophisticated, because your email address could be traced. “What you did was wicked. “She was 18 and you were threatening to expose that video to her family and friends.
“It must have been extremely distressing to her and must still be even now.”
The judge said Mistry had a previous conviction for theft from an employee, in 2016, for which he received an eight month suspended sentence with rehabilitation days attached to the order.
Judge Dean said: “I’ve no doubt the rehabilitation requirement was to get you to address your gambling problem, but it hasn’t succeeded.
“You’re not in breach of the suspended sentence (which has now expired) but the chance you were given back in 2016 has been lost.”
Richard Thatcher, prosecuting, said that in May 2017 the 18-yearold victim was in communication via the Whisper social media site with someone she believed to be female - and was asked to “perform various acts whilst filming herself.”
Judge Dean said: “They were intimate private acts and there was no element of coercion - she was being curious, really.”
Mr Thatcher said it wasn’t until August 2018 when the defendant - using the name Holly D**** on Facebook - unsuccessfully attempted to contact the woman.
The victim’s boyfriend then accepted a Facebook messenger request, thinking it was someone called Holly.
The message was: “I have something interesting of your girlfriend and it may be worth her getting in touch with me.”
Mr Thatcher said: “There was mention made of blackmail.”
The boyfriend was sent screen shots from the video of his girlfriend with demands for £500 or the supply of another sex video by her.
Mr Thatcher said: “If the money wasn’t received by the following day then friends and family would receive the video.”
The victim’s boyfriend tried to change his privacy settings, but it was too late as the defendant made it known he had already downloaded the list of Facebook friends.
The police traced the defendant and Mistry’s phone was found to contain the indecent video the victim had made of herself in 2017.
In interview, Mistry admitted being on the Whisper application, but claimed he had only used it in connection with his gambling.
Phillip Plant, mitigating, said: “His gambling addiction led to him foolishly using this video as a way to try to get money. It was opportunistic.”
Judge Dean intervened to say he believed the film was not initially requested with a desire to commit blackmail, otherwise it would have been committed earlier than it was, and the idea to use it to extort money came later.
He added: “Nevertheless, it was a wicked crime.”
Mr Plant told the court: “He had a need for money because he was gambling, which required further money.
“He plans to move to London to where there is a clinic to treat people with gambling problems.”
He didn’t know the victim personally but he can understand the pain and suffering he caused.
“He would like a second chance, although he’s realistic about what he’s done.” Mistry was jailed for nine months. The judge ordered forfeiture of the defendant’s phone and destruction of the contents.