Man pleads guilty after blackmailing acquaintance

A man who refused to provide his PIN to police after he was arrested on suspicion of blackmailing an acquaintance has been sentenced at court this week.

Joshua Hewson, 26, (DOB 2/6/1997) of Wavendene Avenue, Egham, pleaded guilty to one count of blackmail and one count of failing to comply with a section 49 notice.

Police received a 999 call on Tuesday 22 March 2022 around 8.30am from an acquaintance of Hewson, who told police that Hewson had called him stating that he was being held prisoner by five people and if he didn’t transfer £300 to him, both of them would be killed.

The acquaintance then received numerous calls, a video, a photo, and multiple WhatsApp messages, from Hewson asking for his help and demanding money, saying he was trapped in a vehicle with people who wouldn't let him out.

The acquaintance agreed to meet Hewson with police also in attendance. Hewson appeared intoxicated and refused to give any information about the alleged kidnappers, and he was arrested on suspicion of wasting police time and blackmail.

Hewson’s mobile phone was seized but he refused to provide his PIN.

Following his guilty plea, Hewson was given a 25-week custodial sentence, reduced to 20 weeks for his early plea and suspended for two years.  He was given a further four-week custodial sentence for failing to provide his PIN, which was reduced to three weeks for his early guilty plea, to run concurrently alongside the 20 weeks for the blackmail offence.

He was also ordered to complete 120 hours of community service, a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £128 and £1,200 in court costs.  He was also ordered to forfeit the phone he used to commit the crime.

Investigating officer Leanne Sherwood said: “In passing the sentence, the Judge described Hewson as “mean” and someone who exploited the victim’s generous nature, instead of being grateful for the help he had given him.  He described Hewson’s kidnap story as “fabrication”, which had resulted in the victim leaving the country.

“The fact that Hewson was prosecuted for not providing his PIN as well as the blackmail offence shows that there are consequences for failing to comply. For a serious offence, the penalty can be up to two years in prison which demonstrates how seriously the offence is taken.”