A teenager has been locked up for blackmailing a woman after discovering she had a brief sexual relationship with an underage boy.
Leon Shooter, 18, of Almondbury, threatened to expose what he knew to social services and the police if the 37-year-old woman did not pay him to keep quiet about her previous contact with the 14-year-old.
Over a three week period earlier this year he made demands both in person and via text messages to the complainant leading to her paying him around £500.
Michael Smith, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court Shooter also made some physical threats, threatening to stab members of her family if she did not comply.
The woman found it difficult to cope without the money she was paying Shooter and eventually went to the police and told them what had been happening.
The court heard Shooter had 34 convictions for 53 offences and is currently serving an eight month sentence for attempted robbery and battery.
Adam Birkby, representing him, said: “He now realises how nasty this offence is.”
He said as a teenager Shooter had gone “completely off the rails” committing offences and taking any drugs he could get his hands on.
He was only 17 at the time of the blackmail which in terms of blackmail was unsophisticated. “He was upset the complainant had not been prosecuted for what happened and accepts he should not have exploited that for his own gain but should have reported it to the police.”
He said Shooter offered an apology to the complainant and wanted to repay her the money. He was now having counselling for his drug use while on remand and hoped to get work in construction on his eventual release.
Shooter, of Fairfield Road, admitted blackmailing the woman – who cannot be identified – and was sent to a young offender institution for 18 months.
Recorder Peter Pimm told him: “You are a bully, a violent bully and this was a very nasty offence.”
He said for his own financial gain Shooter had made threats of violence and threats to expose the relationship “which the victim of your offending would have been mortified if it had been made public.”
But he accepted Shooter was only 17 at the time, was immature and had admitted the offence at the earliest opportunity.
