Premier League player ‘fled blackmail bid in his underpants’
A PREMIER League footballer was blackmailed after being filmed in a hotel room with a woman who was not his partner, a court has heard.
The player, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had previously met 28-year-old Natalie Wood on two occasions after sending her a message on social media.
Bristol Crown Court heard Wood hatched a plot to blackmail the sportsman with three men, including Tyrone Coleman, 34, a former contestant on the dating game show Take Me Out.
Wood arranged to meet the player in a hotel room, allegedly leaving a spare key card with co-defendants Nathan Coleman, 38, and Prince Rowe, 37.
A jury heard the men burst into the room, causing the football player – clad only in underwear – to jump out of a window and escape using a fire escape.
The man took shelter in a nearby restaurant until police arrived.
Simon Jones, prosecuting, said: “The complainant is a well-known professional football player. Last year, a plan was hatched to blackmail him, to expose him to the media if he didn’t pay money. The plan was thwarted by the complainant going to the police.”
The court heard Wood met the player after he sent her a message on social media in 2017. He sent her money to book a hotel room on three occasions, with Wood checking in and providing him with the room number.
“The plan was for Prince Rowe and Nathan Coleman to burst into the room and then capture an incriminating image … to be used to blackmail and extort money from him,” said Mr Jones.
The man had taken off his tracksuit and Rolex watch before the men entered. “The complainant exited via the window in his underpants,” Mr Jones said.
The player received a text message from Wood’s phone telling him: “I don’t really want to expose you to the media but if you don’t respond within 24 hours then you leave me no choice.”
Wood has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to blackmail. Nathan Coleman, of Sussex, denies conspiracy to blackmail and two counts of theft relating to the footballer’s watch and tracksuit. His brother Tyrone Coleman, of Birmingham, denies conspiracy to blackmail.
Prince Rowe, of Birmingham, denies conspiracy to blackmail and two counts of theft. Ras Robinson denies a charge of handling stolen goods.
The trial continues.