A teenager has been ordered to complete unpaid work after blackmailing a man who sent him a compromising photo via a dating app.
Joseph Cordiner demanded increasing sums of money from his victim, threatening to send a photo of the man in his underwear to his boss if he didn’t continually pay up.
The 19-year-old received an initial £300, then a further £400 from the man, who dropped off the cash in a bag near Monument View in Inverurie each time.
It was only when Cordiner demanded an additional £500 via messenger service Whatsapp that his victim contacted the police.
On September 3, 2018, he wrote: “Please do not ignore the last message.
“I know you well, you will not be able to ignore me forever.”
He admitted extortion and attempted extortion, and appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court for sentencing yesterday.
Solicitor Graham Sutherland explained that Cordiner has not offended since these incidents and has begun planning his future.
He said: “He appears to be more focused on where he wants to be and how he’s going to get there.”
Sheriff Margaret Hodge acknowledged that Cordiner, of North Street in Inverurie, had been facing “difficulties” in his life at the time of the offence.
She said: “This was a premeditated crime and it must have caused an enormous amount of stress to the victim.”
Cordiner was ordered to complete 70 hours of unpaid work and was placed under the supervision of social workers for nine months.