Blackmailer posed as a woman to target victim

A BLACKMAILER used a fake social media account to fleece a man by telling him pornographic photos he bought from him were of a child. Darren Dawson paid £40 to purchase a Snapchat account which he used to target men, posing as a woman and using the alias Chloe.

- ROB KENNEDY

Newcastle Crown Court heard he befriended the victim on the social media app before sending a topless picture of a woman, purportedly himself, and getting him to subscribe to “premium” content. However, he then threatened to ruin his life by exposing him to the police and social services, claiming the images had been of a child.

The tormented victim ended up paying hundreds of pounds but Dawson kept demanding more and issued menacing threats. As he was jailed, it was revealed the 26-year-old, of Cranleigh Road, Sunderland, is believed to have exploited other innocent men in the same way.

Dawson told a probation officer he was looking to increase his income and someone told him he could buy a fake Snapchat account with inbuilt pictures for £40 and that such profiles were commonly used to blackmail.