Kettering woman who sold explicit images of herself blackmailed victim after his social media 'like'

A Kettering woman who sold sexually explicit images of herself blackmailed a social media user who ‘liked’ one online.

Jodie Gaffney threatened to tell the man’s girlfriend what he had been up to unless he paid her cash, which he initially did before refusing a second demand.

Her extortion was only uncovered when police examined the 25-year-old’s phone after she assaulted a woman in her own home.

On Friday (October 6) Gaffney, of Jasmine Road, was spared from prison after a judge took a ‘wholly exceptional’ course of action and suspended her sentence.

Prosecutor Caroline Bray told Northampton Crown Court that Gaffney had an account which involved her selling explicit images of herself as a business.

She said police found evidence of her blackmailing a man, who had liked an image, after she went on his profile and found he had a partner.

The court heard Gaffney sent him a message along the lines of: "If you do not pay me £40 for an image I will tell your girlfriend you liked my photo."

Her victim sent her the cash – only for Gaffney to make another demand.

Ms Bray said: "He hoped that was the end of it. She sent him another demand for £150.

"At that point he refused. She then sent a screenshot of messaging his girlfriend to tell her."

Ms Bray said the victim then told his girlfriend what had happened and felt ‘embarrassed and ashamed’.

The court heard Gaffney saw it as part of her business and 'did not really understand what was wrong with it'.

But His Honour Judge David Herbert KC told her: "It is a mean and unpleasant offence. It's most certainly not part and parcel of what you were doing on social media."

The blackmail was discovered when police investigated an assault which took place at a house in Kettering in February 2022.

The court heard Gaffney and another woman, 25-year-old Tasharna Spiers, went to see the woman who lived there after a dispute on social media.

They found the front door to be insecure and let themselves in where they found the victim completely naked and relaxing in the bath. The pair then launched an attack, which was partly recorded by another person.

Spiers, of Whitley Close in Irthlingborough, threw punches while Gaffney put the boot in ‘several times’, the court heard. During the incident the victim’s iPhone was taken.

Ms Bray said the victim was left with bruising to her hip and side and still struggles to take a bath as a result of what happened.

She said: "She felt pure humiliation, degraded and violated."

Gaffney went on to plead guilty to blackmail, theft and assault occasioning actual bodily harm while Spiers admitted theft and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Mitigating for Gaffney, Michael Fullerton said she is 18-weeks pregnant, realises she made a ‘serious’ mistake and had been evicted from her accommodation due to rent arrears.

Urging the case for a suspended sentence, he said: "She put her hands up to these matters at the first opportunity."

Mitigating for Spiers, Will Forber-Heyward said she was deeply sorry for what she did, that she acted on impulse and that she is hoping to study at university.

He said: "She is a young woman with a bright future ahead of her."

Gaffney cried during the sentencing before Judge Herbert KC said he would take a 'wholly exceptional' course of action and suspend her prison sentence.

Her 22-month prison term was suspended for two years with an order to complete 45 rehabilitation activity days – with a warning that she will be jailed if she doesn’t comply.

Judge Herbert KC told her: "I will not give you a second chance."

Spiers was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for 18 months, and must take part in 20 rehabilitation activity days and carry out 60 hours of unpaid work.

Both women are banned from contacting their assault victim for five years through a restraining order.