A Barrow man has been jailed for two-and-a-half years after he threatened a woman with blackmail.
Mark Purcell, 36, of Ivy Avenue, met a woman online in December 2021.
After meeting the woman Purcell made contact telling her he had possession of a video, blackmailing her by telling her he would post it online. He proceeded to send her still images of the video to reaffirm his leverage.
Police arrested Purcell in February 2022 after the woman contacted Cumbria police and reported her concerns. His mobile phones were seized and the video recovered from his mobile phone.
He appeared at Preston Crown Court for sentencing following a four-day trial.
Detective Constable Matt McFall, of Barrow CID, said: “When Purcell was interviewed about this matter he admitted to sending threatening messages to the woman.
“The victim absolutely did the right thing in contacting Cumbria police. We were able to recover the video before it went online.
“Cumbria police will always strive to bring offenders to justice who maliciously send or threaten to send such private material into the public domain.
“It is a serious offence, and such behaviour could land you in jail.
“I am pleased that the courts have taken this matter seriously and that Purcell has been held accountable for his crimes”.
