Jailed: Telford blackmailer demanded £150,000 over pensioner's 'dark secret'

Victim David Jones committed suicide weeks after he was threatened by John Whitaker at his Shropshire farmhouse. Whitaker burst into the home of Mr Jones brandishing a meat cleaver and making threats before ordering him to write a cheque.

He made claims, which have been been the subject of an investigation, into Mr Whitaker's past sexual behaviour.

Police interviewed and arrested Mr Jones, 77, from Pontesbury, near Shrewsbury, who denied the allegations.

The pensioner killed himself a fortnight later, in September last year, Shrewsbury Crown Court was told.

Whitaker, 44, of Blossomfield, Brookside, admitted a charge of blackmail at a previous court hearing and appeared in court to be sentenced.

Mr Kevin Jones, prosecuting, told the court Whitaker, who has worked for Arriva for the past 10 years, turned up at the front door of Mr Jones' house on August 29.

Armed with the meat cleaver, he forced Mr Jones back inside the house and made a number of threats before ordering him to write out the cheque.

He paid it straight into an account after leaving the farmhouse but it never cleared because it had not been filled in correctly, the court heard.

Mr Dean Easthope, for Whitaker, said he was a "hard-working man" who had never been in trouble with the police before.

The court heard the allegations involved a relationship Mr Jones had had in the past.

"This has had a disastrous effect on two families," he said.

"He met this lady, she described this issue to him, and he made the disastrous decision to take the law into his own hands.

"In the cold light of day he would not make the same mistake again. He accepts what he did was completely over the top – he should have just rung the police, which is ultimately what they did do in the end anyway.

"He said his motivation for going was to scare him and what he wanted was answers. He didn't want to assault him, and he didn't want to use any violence.

"It is a very sad case, totally out of character, an impulse act."

Recorder Stephen Thomas, sentencing Whitaker, said he had no option but to impose an immediate jail term and sentenced him to four years in prison.

The judge told Whitaker: "You went there and equipped yourself with a meat cleaver for one of two reasons - you either intended to do violence or threaten violence to him.

"It is hard to imagine the terror he must have felt, he talked of screaming. All the time you were on your phone, seeking to add to the terror by indicating that others were going to come as well.

"You made a demand for £150,000. He, no doubt in terror, felt he had no option but to write out a cheque for that sum. You took that cheque from him."

Recorder Thomas said he had "no doubt" the visit of Whitaker to Mr Jones' house that day played a "significant part" in his decision to commit suicide weeks later.