UNITED KINGDOM – A top Cambridge University academic was blackmailed and forced to hand over ?6,0000 ($9,800) by a male prostitute who threatened to tell his wife that they had sex.
Cambridge Crown Court was told that drop-out Philip Ellis, 26, met the academic at a gay cruising spot in the city’s Newnham area. The man paid Ellis ?10 ($17) to perform a sexual act on him and later paid him ?40 ($65) for full sex.
Ellis then demanded ?4,000 ($6,500) from the elderly academic.
Sara Walker, prosecuting, said, “He said he knew who he was and knew he was married. The defendant told him he knew his wife’s name and some details about his son. The victim then met the defendant in St Mary’s Street and handed over £200 ($330), saying he could not withdraw £3,800 ($6,200) because the cash machine would not let him. He later went to the bank and withdrew £3,800 and handed it over.”
Ellis continued to ask for money, claiming he had compromising mobile phone conversations. The academic handed over a further £2,000 ($3,300).
Two months later Ellis appeared at the victim’s family home. Walker described the scene: “The victim saw the defendant coming up the drive and the victim became unwell and suffered some form of a collapse. He told his wife what had happened and the incident was reported to the police.”
Ellis was later arrested. He was given a 30-month prison sentence for blackmail.
