A north-east man who was being extorted over Snapchat had to leap from a window to escape a masked gang enforcer, who had travelled hundreds of miles up from England to chop him up.
Gang member Bailey Gore caught the train from Cheshire and turned up at his victim’s doorstep in Rosehearty following four days of chilling threats and repeated demands for £3,000.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told the 24-year-old – who has a previous conviction in England for battery and harassment – tried to kick down his victim’s door and threatened to blow up the house unless he handed over the cash.
Fiscal depute Ruaridh McAlister said Gore’s victim had been a member of a Snapchat group that posted information about Universal Credit and tax rebates.
“In January 2020, he provided this Snapchat account with his HMRC login details,” Mr McAlister said.
“This in turn would have provided the user with his personal details, including home address and telephone number.
“Around the end of January 2020, the complainer received a Snapchat message from this account claiming that he owed them £3,000.
“He responded, telling the user that they wouldn’t be receiving any money from him and blocked the account.”
However, on January 30 the man received a message from a WhatsApp account he didn’t recognise that stated: “Yo lad, I’m getting a grand to hurt you.”
‘Get the money ready and save yourself hassle’
The message also claimed that the person knew his home address, with a message from Gore stating: “I’ma blow your gaff right up.”
Gore then sent a flurry of other messages in which he referenced “shooting” his victim and that he would “chop” the man and his father.
The following day Gore’s victim received another message stating that he was in Scotland and had his address.
A picture message followed that showed a male travelling on a train.
In the early hours of the morning of February 1, the man received a number of missed calls and a further WhatsApp message stating that Gore would be at his home in the morning.
Another message two hours later said: “Get the money ready and save yourself hassle.”
Guilty plea
At around 12.30pm the man heard a noise like someone was trying his front door handle and went to his window to investigate.
Outside his home was a man – Gore – wearing a snood over his face.
Gore then started repeatedly kicking the door in an attempt to get inside.
When the man saw Gore run around the house towards the back door he opened his living room window, jumped out and ran off into the street.
Gore, of Sextant Close, Runcorn, Cheshire, pleaded guilty to one charge of behaving in a threatening manner by sending social media messages, telephone calls and attending at the man’s address uninvited and trying to kick down his door.
Defence agent Stuart Flowerdew told the court that Gore had become involved with a criminal gang who were using “leverage over him”.
“Mr Gore knows that he should have just contacted the police, but he was trying to get hold of the money before any confrontation took place,” he said.
“He allowed himself to be coerced to an extent.”
‘Harassment on a grand scale’
However, Sheriff Graham Buchanan told Mr Flowerdew that “maybe a message needs to be sent” to people being threatened by criminal groups.
“Maybe if people realised that if they went to the police instead of doing this then they might not do it?” he said.
“This is just behaviour that is utterly unacceptable.”
Speaking directly to Gore, Sheriff Buchanan told him: “This is an extremely serious matter because of the terror it must have caused the victim.
“Not only did you intimidate him, but you also travelled from England to Scotland to carry out the threats.
“This was harassment of your victim on a grand scale.”
Sheriff Buchanan sentenced Gore to 16 months in prison.
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