A FORMER security guard has been jailed for attempting to extort hundreds of pounds from a married man who sent naked pictures to a woman he had created on Facebook.
The victim had thought he was chatting to 'Emma' on the social media network, when in fact it was a 34-year-old male in financial difficulties.
Aged in his mid-30s, the man had been in contact with the "female" for just a day, when their online chats became sexual and he sent the explicit images of himself the following day.
But extortionist David Mellor, of Edinburgh, who was posing as 'Emma' threatened to post the images on the internet unless he handed over £600.
His victim, who has not been named, withdrew £120 from an ATM machine and left it at a bus stop for Mellor before reporting the incident to police.
Yesterday (tue), Mellor was sentenced to 12 month at the city's sheriff court after he had earlier pleaded guilty to extortion in January last year.
Fiscal Depute, Kirsty Anderson, told Sheriff Alistair Noble that the victim reported the matter to the police on January 16 2014, the day after the conversation began online.
She said: "He instructed him to withdraw £120 in cash at the Tesco Super Store in Colinton Mains Drive and directed him to a bus stop on his mobile phone.
"Mellor was transmitting from the area and the man dropped off the cash as instructed".
She added the man then reported the matter to the police and investigations led them to Mellor's address.
Defence solicitor, Gillian Law, defending, said at the time Mellor had been in a long-term relationship with a partner, who was in full-time education studying for a degree, and her children.
Ms Law added that he had taken on responsibility for the family and treated her children "as his own." She added that he was the sole provider.
Ms Law said, because of debt, Mellor became involved in the extortion plan. He later lost his job and was on benefits.
Mellor, she added, had gone voluntarily to the police station and made a voluntary statement. He had also instructed his lawyers to enter a guilty plea at an early stage, but that had not been accepted by the Crown.
Sentencing, Sheriff Noble told Mellor: "This matter cannot be dealt with in any way other than by custody because of its seriousness.
"You were preying on this individual".
He added that he had taken into account the relatively small amount of money that was handed over, his voluntary attendance and statement and the the fact his early plea of guilty had not been accepted by the Crown.
Sheriff Noble said that as a result he would reduce the sentence from 18 to 12 months.
The case highlights the dangers posed by extortionists on the internet.
It has certain similarities to the case of Daniel Perry, from Dunfermline, Fife.
The 17-year-old apprentice mechanic committed suicide after talking on the video chat service Skype with someone he believed was a girl of the same age.
In fact, he was communicating with blackmailers who threatened to show footage to his family unless he paid them.
The scam, which had seen other online users duped, was traced to the Philippines where a number of arrests were made in connection with the case.
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