Teenager denies charge of extortion

A teenager has been ordered to stand trial accused of extorting hundreds of pounds from a businessman by “threatening to expose his infidelity to the media and his family”.

Aisling Ironside, 19, faces a charge of extortion over an alleged incident in November 2016.

Ironside is alleged to have extorted £550 from the businessman, who for legal reasons can only be identified as Mr A, over the course of five days last November at an address in Broughty Ferry and elsewhere.

Prosecutors say Ironside, “with the intention of menacing Mr A and putting him in a state of alarm”, demanded £550 in cash from him. It is alleged she did that by putting him in “apprehension of public humiliation and personal reputational harm” if he did not hand over the cash.

Ironside is said to have “threatened to expose his infidelity to the media and family members and did extort £550 in money from Mr A by threats”.

Ironside, 19, of Nellfield Place, Aberdeen, denied the charge through solicitor Kevin Hampton during a pre-trial hearing at Dundee Sheriff Court yesterday.

Sheriff George Way set a trial date in April and ordered Ironside to appear at a further pre-trial hearing in March.