Pensioner was suicidal after extortion threats

AFife mum-of-two whose sexual extortion threats drove a vulnerable pensioner to consider jumping from the 10th floor of a tower block was jailed for three years yesterday.

Sandra Law falsely accused the 73-year-old man of accepting sexual favours from her and threatened to tell his neighbours.

Falkirk Sheriff Court was told that Law, 39, turned up at the man’s flat in Symon Tower, Falkirk in May 2018 with “a sob story”.

The court heard that before this point, the man did not know Law, nor did he know of her.

After a seven-month break – during which, it transpired, Law had been in prison – she turned up at his door again, demanding funds to pay a fine.

The court heard she managed to obtain £100 from the man after making her threats, but he later called police.

Michael Maguire, prosecuting, said: “He told the police he was feeling suicidal and wanted to jump from the window of his flat – which was on the 10th floor.

“When officers attended, he was shaking and he’d been crying.

“He told the police he felt helpless and stressed, and couldn’t afford to give the accused any more cash.”

The court heard that Law had previously pulled a similar trick on an elderly man, also 73, in Dunblane, Perthshire.

The Dunblane pensioner had known Law for eight or 10 years, as they both had connections to Fife, and he had previously given her small sums of money voluntarily, to help her out.

From June 2016, however, she became threatening and aggressive, after he said he was going to stop giving her money because he feared she was spending it on drugs.

Mr Maguire said: “Law responded to this development by telling him that if he didn’t give her money, she would tell his sons and family that he’d done sexual acts to her against her will.

“In response he relented and gave her money.”

The victim eventually reported Law to police after she had extorted a total of £540 from him.

Mr Maguire said the Dunblane pensioner whom Law targeted had suffered two strokes and two heart attacks over the years, and thought Law saw him as “an easy target”.

Law, of Sir George Bruce Road, Oakley, Fife, pleaded guilty to two charges of extortion.

Sheriff Wyllie Robertson jailed her and imposed a non-harassment order, preventing her from contacting or attempting to contact either of her victims, or entering their streets, for four years.

“He

was shaking and he’d been crying