A BLACKMAILER ordered a man to transfer £50,000 into his bank account before sending him a prompting message which read 'tick tock'.

David Garrett, 61, was said by a judge to have acted with 'spontaneous bitterness and envy' during a short-lived and ultimately fruitless bid to obtain cash.

This came on October 11 when Garrett made contact with the man, who initially thought their conversation would be about football.

The man rang Garrett, who stated: “Transfer £50,000 into my bank account.”

“The complainant originally thought he was joking and started laughing,” said prosecutor Tim Evans as he outlined the details at Carlisle Crown Court.

Garrett responded by saying "no, it’s not a joke", and made reference to allegations dating back some years.

“It’s not about getting even. This is revenge,” he added.

Mr Evans told the court: “Soon after the call was finished, the defendant sent his bank details to facilitate the money transfer in a WhatsApp message.”

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The victim described feeling 'terrible, numb inside'.

“He immediately told his wife of the threat,” said Mr Evans. “The first message was then followed initially by another followed by another saying ‘tick tock’.

A number of messages were sent by the defendant saying the demand would not go away.

But later that day, the matter was reported to police, Garrett later saying in an interview:“I am guilty of the offence but for good reason.”

Garrett, of Foundry Road, Parton, Whitehaven, admitted a blackmail charge having previously been a man of good character. The background to his demand was that the victim had, shortly before the offence, received a payout following a car crash and its aftermath.

Defence barrister Judith McCullough spoke of an 'extremely unusual and sad case', and said: “It is a matter of great regret to this defendant.”

The judge, Recorder Samantha Presland, heard of Garrett’s health difficulties, spoke of the short blackmail timescale and concluded that a six-month jail term should be suspended for six months.

Recorder Presland told Garrett: “Blackmail is a very nasty and insidious thing to do.”

She added of the offence: “It is a very stupid, bitter, envious thing to have done. I have no doubt you feel deeply ashamed about it.”

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