Brothers who blackmailed married man out of £10,000 get 8 years' jail

Published on Thursday 25 June 2009 23:04

TWO brothers who extorted £10,000 from a married man over his relationship with a prostitute have each been jailed for eight years for a "particularly nasty" crime.

Stephen Dobson, 39, and John Dobson, 36, had told the victim that if he did not buy their silence, or if he contacted the police, his finger would be cut off and his wife would be raped in front of their children. They also told the man, 55, an IT worker with a bank, that they would tell his wife of regular visits to a sauna where he paid for sex if he failed to come up with the cash.

The brothers, both of Portobello, Edinburgh, were also found guilty by a jury of attempting to extort 2,000 from another man. He was a drug user who had been accused by the pair of "grassing" on someone during a previous court case.

Jailing them at the High Court in Edinburgh, Lord Philip said: "They are crimes which ordinary people find particularly sinister and disturbing, and there is a cowardly aspect to them as well. Your victims were vulnerable people, maybe because of their own weakness, but nevertheless vulnerable.

"With actual violence and threats of more serious violence, you extorted and attempted to extort substantial sums of money, preying on their vulnerability and weakness. I have to reflect the public concern over these particularly nasty crimes."

The married man met Catherine Purcell, 31, known as Cindy, in 2005 at Carol's Sauna, Easter Road, Edinburgh.

He said he had gone there for "female company, relaxation and sex". He visited the sauna once or twice a week, and later began to see Ms Purcell away from her work. Their relationship lasted about three years, and he estimated he had spent thousands of pounds on her.

Ms Purcell told the court that the man had said he loved her, and wanted her to move in with him because he was having problems with his wife. He showered her with gifts, such as jewellery and flowers, and paid bills for her. She admitted leading him on, but said she had been "very appreciative" of his generosity.

On 17 October last year, the man received phone calls from the brothers and was told to meet them near Musselburgh. "They indicated I was going to have to pay 10,000 to them. Stephen Dobson produced a knife and held it against my face. They were quite insistent I would be able to get my hands on such a sum," the man told the court.

He went with the brothers to a bank in George Street, Edinburgh, where he negotiated a loan, payable at 328 a month over five years, and an immediate cash withdrawal of 10,000. He handed the wads of 50 notes to the brothers.

A few days later, he confided in a colleague and the police were informed. The man told his wife, and he said she was now considering divorce.

When the brothers were detained, police recovered only 350. Ms Purcell was charged with them, but the case against her was later dropped.