This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jul/28/man-jailed-blackmail-sexually-explicit-images-ex-wife-haley-meijer
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Man jailed after using explicit images of ex-wife in £2m blackmail bid | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A British man who married the daughter of an American billionaire has been jailed for 12 years after plotting to extort £2m from the family by posting sexually explicit photos of her online. | A British man who married the daughter of an American billionaire has been jailed for 12 years after plotting to extort £2m from the family by posting sexually explicit photos of her online. |
| James Casbolt, 37, from St Ives in Cornwall, demanded the fortune in exchange for not sharing intimate pictures of Haley Meijer following an acrimonious split. | James Casbolt, 37, from St Ives in Cornwall, demanded the fortune in exchange for not sharing intimate pictures of Haley Meijer following an acrimonious split. |
| He also sent threatening texts and emails to Meijer, the daughter of the American hypermarket tycoon Hank Meijer, and posted bizarre, unfounded claims about her online. | He also sent threatening texts and emails to Meijer, the daughter of the American hypermarket tycoon Hank Meijer, and posted bizarre, unfounded claims about her online. |
| Casbolt once wrote to her: “If my terms are not met, I can tickle the public interest for years, until the Meijers are so infamous in the world they will not be able to walk down the streets safely.” | Casbolt once wrote to her: “If my terms are not met, I can tickle the public interest for years, until the Meijers are so infamous in the world they will not be able to walk down the streets safely.” |
| In another he said: “If you are living with another guy, you just gave him a death sentence” and threatened to send suicide bombers to her parents’ home. | In another he said: “If you are living with another guy, you just gave him a death sentence” and threatened to send suicide bombers to her parents’ home. |
| Jailing Casbolt for 12 years at Truro crown court, Judge Christopher Harvey-Clarke described him as an “extremely dangerous man’’. He told him he was not suffering from any mental disorder and his actions were those of a person with a “highly intelligent and criminal mind”. | Jailing Casbolt for 12 years at Truro crown court, Judge Christopher Harvey-Clarke described him as an “extremely dangerous man’’. He told him he was not suffering from any mental disorder and his actions were those of a person with a “highly intelligent and criminal mind”. |
| He said: “Your intentions were evil. You sought to intimidate and humiliate Haley Meijer. You were not mad, but you were bad and very dangerous to know. You present a significant risk to the public.” | He said: “Your intentions were evil. You sought to intimidate and humiliate Haley Meijer. You were not mad, but you were bad and very dangerous to know. You present a significant risk to the public.” |
| The court was told Meijer had sent sexually explicit images to Casbolt after he told her he was feeling lonely while serving in the US army. | The court was told Meijer had sent sexually explicit images to Casbolt after he told her he was feeling lonely while serving in the US army. |
| Harvey-Clarke said: “You asked your wife for sexually intimate images and videos. They were intended to give you pleasure and solace. She gave them to you because she loved you. You grossly abused her trust. When the relationship broke down, you used the photographs as your ammunition. | Harvey-Clarke said: “You asked your wife for sexually intimate images and videos. They were intended to give you pleasure and solace. She gave them to you because she loved you. You grossly abused her trust. When the relationship broke down, you used the photographs as your ammunition. |
| “You systematically set out to destroy her reputation. Thousands of people with gullible minds saw the photos and doubtless believed the horrible lies you wrote.” | “You systematically set out to destroy her reputation. Thousands of people with gullible minds saw the photos and doubtless believed the horrible lies you wrote.” |
| The court was told Casbolt had met Meijer via the internet in 2009. For a time, they lived in Cornwall together before moving to the US. They married in 2011 and had a son together but after Casbolt became violent, they divorced, the court was told. | |
| Philip Lee, prosecuting, said: “It was then that [Casbolt] told her that he would dedicate the rest of his life to destroying her and threatened to post the explicit photos on the internet. He said to her: ‘I will now release porn pictures of you to the world’. He then immediately followed out that threat and posted them on Facebook.” | Philip Lee, prosecuting, said: “It was then that [Casbolt] told her that he would dedicate the rest of his life to destroying her and threatened to post the explicit photos on the internet. He said to her: ‘I will now release porn pictures of you to the world’. He then immediately followed out that threat and posted them on Facebook.” |
| Casbolt told his former wife that he was “inexhaustible” and warned: “I could do this for years.” | Casbolt told his former wife that he was “inexhaustible” and warned: “I could do this for years.” |
| Lee said Casbolt also sent an email saying: “Your dad could be lynched in the street” and another that said: “[£]2M. Put in my bank account. I will then stop talking about the Meijer family.” He also posed with images of himself brandishing a sword and a gun. | Lee said Casbolt also sent an email saying: “Your dad could be lynched in the street” and another that said: “[£]2M. Put in my bank account. I will then stop talking about the Meijer family.” He also posed with images of himself brandishing a sword and a gun. |
| When police asked Casbolt why he was acting in such a way, he replied: “Because I love my son and they are telling me I will never see him again. I have tried to show them it does not matter how much money they have. I just want to see my son. I don’t care how she feels. I don’t care how her parents feel.” | When police asked Casbolt why he was acting in such a way, he replied: “Because I love my son and they are telling me I will never see him again. I have tried to show them it does not matter how much money they have. I just want to see my son. I don’t care how she feels. I don’t care how her parents feel.” |
| While on bail, Casbolt sent threatening messages to two other women – British surfer Anastassia Swallow and stylist Simone Everett. Both were sent links to a fictional serial killer called Slenderman. | While on bail, Casbolt sent threatening messages to two other women – British surfer Anastassia Swallow and stylist Simone Everett. Both were sent links to a fictional serial killer called Slenderman. |
| The court heard Meijer suffered depression and was unable to talk about what had happened because she was so embarrassed. | The court heard Meijer suffered depression and was unable to talk about what had happened because she was so embarrassed. |
| Casbolt admitted a number of offences, including blackmailing Meijer and harassing Swallow and Everett. |