Bogus debt collector demanded £34,000 from pub landlord
A ‘MANIPULATIVE’ blackmailer went into a pub and demanded thousands of pounds from the landlord after falsely claiming he was a debt collector.
William Blower, 33, went into the Carters Arms in Sale and ordered him to hand over £34,000, making threats.
He later lowered his demands to £2,000, telling the landlord he should hand it over ‘to make the problem go away.’
Blower left empty-handed and was caught shortly after, but the landlord was terrified.
He was told by Blower that he would bring a gang of 30 ‘from Moss Side’ if the money wasn’t paid.
Now Blower, who said he was acting alone, has been jailed for two-and-ahalf years.
Minshull Street Crown Court heard that Blower walked into the pub at about 9pm on August 18 last year.
He began talking to the landlord, claiming he was a debt collector and that he owed £34,000, prosecutor Ben Lawrence said. The landlord said he knew nothing about the ‘debt.’
Prosecutors said that the landlord became intimidated after a number of men also arrived at the pub.
Speaking with Blower, one of them asked the landlord ‘is this the kid that owes you money?’
The man then said ‘we know about you, you owe my mate £34k.’
Blower told the landlord: “Have you seen my crew, this is nothing, I can bring 30... from Moss Side, and what will be will be and that’s it.”
“He was terrified of the threat of what would happen if he didn’t pay £34,000,” Mr Lawrence said.
Blower then asked to speak with the landlord privately in his office.
They spoke for about 25 minutes, and he described Blower as having a ‘menacing demeanour.’
He then said he could make it ‘go away’ for £2,000. The landlord explained he didn’t have £2,000, and prosecutors said Blower ‘made a threat’ to his family, who were upstairs.
He said he would go and look in his safe.
Blower, who had been there for more than an hour, said he would return with a gang from Moss Side if he didn’t receive the money.
The landlord told his wife what had happened, and the police were called.
Blower was arrested outside the pub.
The court heard that the landlord was left ‘scared’ for himself and his family, and that he spent thousands of pounds on added security measures.
Blower has 19 convictions for 49 offences including robbery, as well as a previous conviction for blackmail in 2006.
His lawyer Nicola Hall said the crime was ‘unsophisticated,’ and that Blower, a father, has a ‘background of substance misuse issues.’
Ms Hall said: “His recollection of the reason for acting like this was because his father had died at that point. He was drinking very heavily and not thinking clearly. He is determined to put this behind him.”
Judge John Potter described Blower as ‘violent, manipulative and controlling.’
Blower, of no fixed address, admitted blackmail.