Jailed: Man who threatened to expose part-time escort worker to her bosses

Ian Ashley Jones contacted the woman through Facebook and demanded £490 to pay his rent.

But his victim decided to tell her employers herself, which she felt was putting her job in jeopardy.

She also contacted the police, and Jones, who admitted blackmail at an earlier preliminary hearing, was this week jailed for 16 months.

Judge Niclas Parry also made a restraining order, without limit of time, under which 23-year-old Jones is not to contact the victim, approach her place of work, or mention or identify her on social media.

The judge, sitting at Mold Crown Court, also made a Contempt of Court Act order under which the identification of the blackmail victim cannot be made public in order to protect her.

He said blackmail was "an ugly crime" which was serious because it caused mental anguish.

Judge Parry said Jones, of Brook Street, Welshpool, made demands with menaces and preyed on a vulnerable, hard-working lady in low paid employment who chose to work as an escort for extra cash.

"You used her services and then threatened her, saying you would report her to her employers unless she gave you money," the judge told him.

The judge told him: "She felt that she had no alternative but to tell her employers herself and then the police."

Judge Parry said that Jones had the gall in his pre-sentence report to express views about prostitution and workers in the sex industry.

Jones had a previous conviction in 2009 for possessing indecent images and that had included threats to expose vulnerable people unless his demands were met.

"You are in no position to pass moral judgements," the judge told him.

"Were it not for the bravery of the victim, the defendant, on his own admission, would have 'seen this through to the end'."

Prosecutor Emmalyne Downing told how in her spare time the woman worked as an escort to get extra money.

As an escort she met Jones for the first and last time in January and in February he contacted her on Facebook. He said things were bad for him and he was about to be evicted.

Jones asked for money; £10, then £40 and then he wanted £490.

Police were called in. Arrested, Jones admitted everything and said it was "a silly mistake" in order to get money. He told how he needed help, was desperate and was not in the right frame of mind.

Myles Wilson, for Jones, told Tuesday's sentencing that his client was an isolated individual who displayed symptoms of aspergers and gave little thought to the consequences of what he was doing.