Teenage blackmailer rues actions

Angie Wilson cries herself to sleep wishing she hadn’t blackmailed a man before he committed suicide.

She has been called a murderer, lost friends, received threats and also contemplated taking her own life.

‘‘It’s ruined my life,’’ she said yesterday.

‘‘Everyone’s going to hate me. I’m never going to be able to get a job again without being judged.’’

Speaking publicly for the first time since she was arrested, Wilson, 19, said she was ashamed of what she had done and acknowledged threatening text messages she sent a Christchurch man contributed to his death in 2012.

She apologised to his family and warned other teenagers to ‘‘stop and think’’ before making the same mistake.

‘‘I’m really sorry for what has happened. I never knew the consequences of what I was doing at the time,’’ Wilson said.

‘‘It was just a wee mistake that’s turned into something massive and it’s changed my life forever.’’

Wilson was 17 when she met the 40-year-old man, who has name suppression, and started a relationship that involved payments in exchange for oral sex.

She felt guilty when she

Angie Wilson

found out he had a partner and ‘‘freaked out’’ when she thought she would not get money he had promised her.

Over a four-day period, she sent a series of text messages threatening to expose their relationship.

She texted: ‘‘I’m only 17. It will look bad.’’ She demanded $3000.

The man told his partner, and then committed suicide the next day. Later that day, one more text arrived from Wilson: ‘‘ Make sure there’s 4K in there tomorrow or I’ll tell everyone you are a dirty old man.’’

Wilson pleaded guilty to a charge of blackmail and was sentenced to 10 months home detention and 100 hours community work at the High Court in Christchurch last June.

In a letter to the court, Wilson said: ‘‘I’m disgusted in myself.’’

Name suppression protecting her identity was lifted this week.

Since then, she has received threats and has dis- abled her Facebook account.

Yesterday, she told The Press: ‘‘I wanted to be his friend and I wanted to keep getting the money so I went along with it.’’

When she was told she would not receive money she had been promised ‘‘I just simply freaked out and started being a b**** not realising this was going to happen’’.

‘‘I should have asked for help.’’

Wilson hoped the public and the victim’s family would be able to forgive her.

‘‘I just want them to know I’ve learnt my lesson. I wouldn’t wish what I’m going through upon anybody.’’

Wilson’s mother, who would not be named, said she was ‘‘disgusted’’ at her daughter’s actions but believed she was young and naive and deserved a second chance.

‘‘It doesn’t matter what your kids do you’ve still got to love them and support them.’’