A man who admitted involvement in a blackmail scheme that took $2,000 from a senior was sentenced yesterday to 18 months behind bars.

Jahmeco Blakeney, 43, was further sentenced to a year in prison for stealing $4,000 from another senior.

Assistant Justice Charles-Etta Simmons said that Blakeney had an “appalling” criminal record with a long history of offences.

However, she added, he still had the opportunity to get the help he needed to remain sober.

The court heard that the blackmail allegations dated back to June 2020 when a senior was called by an unknown person who identified himself as “Jason” and said that her son had been caught stealing an item worth $1,200.

The caller then demanded that she compensate him for the theft or he would throw her son’s body in her yard wrapped in a plastic bag.

Out of fear for her son’s safety, the senior agreed to pay the blackmailer $1,200 in three payments.

Alan Richards, for the Crown, said the victim handed cash to a man, referred to as “Ink”, twice at St Anne’s Church and once outside the MarketPlace in Heron Bay.

Days later, the senior was contacted again by the blackmailer, who demanded more money or her son would be assaulted.

Once that sum was handed over, she said, the blackmailer demanded more. However, during the phone conversation, the blackmailer became frustrated and the victim recognised his voice as that of Blakeney and took the matter to the police.

Blakeney was arrested and charged, pleading guilty to the offence last August.

The court heard that the theft allegations arose in 2020 after a senior was found wandering on Palmetto Road.

George Burt, who had power of attorney for the senior, subsequently discovered that a total of $28,722 had been taken from the senior’s bank account in a series of unauthorised transactions.

As part of the investigation into the theft, police noted a series of four $1,000 cash withdrawals taken from the Rosebank Centre within a matter of minutes on January 5.

Police recognised Blakeney on CCTV footage and he was subsequently arrested and charged with four counts of theft, to which he pleaded guilty last July.

Mr Richards noted that while almost $30,000 was taken from the senior’s account, Blakeney was charged only for the $4,000 he was recorded withdrawing.

He called for a sentence of 21 months for the blackmail charge and an additional 12 months for the theft charges, arguing that the two sentences should be ordered to run consecutively as they stem from separate incidents.

Mr Richards noted that Blakeney had a long criminal history and that both victims were seniors.

Elizabeth Christopher, for the defence, argued that a sentence of 18 months for blackmail would be more fitting and that both sentences should run concurrently.

Ms Christopher said that in the case of the theft, it appeared that Blakeney had been sent to withdraw the money by someone else.

“I suggest he was chosen for this because he was vulnerable,” she said. “As a drug addict, he was vulnerable. That to me is the only take on these facts that makes sense.”

Blakeney apologised for this actions, saying: “At that time, I was doing drugs. When I do drugs, it messes with my mental state, so I don’t think clearly.”

Mrs Justice Simmons sentenced Blakeney to 18 months in prison for the blackmail charge and one year for the theft charges, but ordered both sentences to run concurrently for a total of 18 months behind bars.

She also ruled that the time Blakeney has served since he was first remanded in December 2022 be counted in the total sentence.

• It is The Royal Gazette’s policy not to allow comments on stories regarding court cases. As we are legally liable for any libellous or defamatory comments made on our website, this move is for our protection as well as that of our readers