ANISH MISTRY OF LOUGHBOROUGH SENTENCED FOR BLACKMAIL INVOLVING TEENAGER'S SEX VIDEO IN LEICESTERSHIRE

In July 2019, a disturbing case of online blackmail unfolded involving Anish Mistry, a resident of Loughborough, who targeted an 18-year-old woman from Leicestershire. The incident began when the young woman, seeking to share personal content, voluntarily sent an intimate video to an unknown individual via the Whisper social networking platform approximately a year prior. Unbeknownst to her, this footage would later become the basis for a malicious extortion attempt.

According to court proceedings at Leicester Crown Court, Mistry, aged 24, exploited the situation by creating a fake Facebook account under the guise of a female persona. Using this counterfeit profile, he sent threatening messages to the victim’s boyfriend, demanding money and further explicit material. Mistry’s goal was to prevent the victim’s family and friends from discovering the compromising video, which he threatened to distribute unless he received £500 or a second sex tape from her.

The young woman, distressed and alarmed by the threats, promptly reported the matter to the police. Authorities traced Mistry through his internet service provider, leading to his arrest and subsequent investigation. In August of the previous year, Mistry pleaded guilty to charges of blackmail, specifically making unwarranted demands for money with menaces.

During the sentencing, Judge Nicholas Dean QC expressed strong disapproval of Mistry’s actions. He remarked, “I don’t know if it was you who was originally in contact with the complainant and persuaded her to do what she did by producing the video; the contents of which we know about. It is of an intimate nature. You were, at the time, a gambling addict and still are no doubt. You realised it was a way of extorting money from her and her boyfriend and attempted to extort £500. It was done in a basic way and wasn’t sophisticated, because your email address could be traced. What you did was wicked. She was 18 and you were threatening to expose that video to her family and friends. It must have been extremely distressing to her and must still be even now.”

Judge Dean also referenced Mistry’s prior criminal record, which included a theft conviction from 2016, for which he received an eight-month suspended sentence with rehabilitation requirements aimed at addressing his gambling issues. He noted that the rehabilitative efforts had failed, and the opportunity for reform had been lost.

Prosecutor Richard Thatcher detailed the timeline of events, revealing that in May 2017, the victim was communicating via Whisper with someone she believed to be female, who encouraged her to perform private acts while recording herself. The court clarified that these acts were consensual and not coerced, driven by curiosity.

However, the situation escalated in August 2018 when Mistry, operating under the alias Holly D**** on Facebook, attempted to contact the victim without success. Subsequently, the victim’s boyfriend received a Facebook message from someone claiming to have compromising material of his partner, suggesting it could be worth her while to get in touch. The message explicitly referenced blackmail, and the sender demanded £500 or a second sex video, threatening to share the original video with her friends and family if the demands were not met by the following day.

The victim’s boyfriend attempted to adjust his privacy settings, but Mistry had already downloaded the list of Facebook friends, making the situation more perilous. Law enforcement officials traced Mistry’s digital footprint, and a search of his phone revealed the indecent video of the victim, which he had obtained in 2017. During police interviews, Mistry admitted to using the Whisper app but claimed his involvement was solely related to his gambling activities.

Ultimately, Mistry was sentenced to nine months in prison. The court also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of his phone and its contents, emphasizing the seriousness of his criminal conduct and the impact it had on the victim’s well-being.