Two people have been given indefinite restraining orders after blackmailing a man and woman.
Geoffrey Dicker, 41, of Harold Street, Carlisle, and Lisa Smith, 44, of Thornby, near Wigton, were given the orders at at Carlisle Crown Court today, following a police investigation.
Both pleaded guilty to the offence.
The court heard that Smith bombarded the man with texts and emails asking for money saying he owed her, with the request for money increasing as time went on from £16,000 to £80,000.
Geoffrey also left threatening voicemails to the man and was texting threatening messages to them both.
Both threated to go and visit the victims’ home, telling them to sleep with one eye open.
Detective Constable Josh Daniel of Cumberland CID investigated the case.
He said “Smith and Dicker bombarded the victims with texts, emails and calls with requests for money and threats over a six-month period.
“Blackmail can have a detrimental impact on a person, with threats accompanying the demand for money. We would encourage anyone experiencing this type of crime to report it to the police.”
Dicker was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment and given an indefinite restraining order.
Smith was given a 20-month suspended sentence, an indefinite restraining order and ten hours of unpaid work.
