June 2018 Man who blackmailed teenager with sex tape fails to get jail term cut A man who threatened to broadcast a sex tape of a teenager has failed to get his jail term cut. Levere David Hinds, of Lathom Road in Bootle , admitted to blackmail and taking and distributing indecent photographs of a child at Liverpool Crown Court in May last year. The 57-year-old was jailed for 44 months after after also being convicted of sending malicious communications and failing to surrender to custody. He told a 17-year-old girl that he had video footage of her engaging in sexual activity with seven men, London’s Appeal Court heard. Hinds told her that, if she gave him £200 to £220, he would hand over the memory card on which the footage was stored Threatening to ‘broadcast’ the video on a large screen if she didn’t pay up, he told her: “I am going to expose you to everyone.” The victim had experienced fear, anxiety, insomnia, panic attacks and depression, said Judge David Stockdale QC. The judge, who jailed ‘sinister’ Hinds, said the vulnerable victim ‘had already been exploited sexually by others’. Hinds also took indecent photos of another teenage victim and distributed them to others, the court heard. He telephoned her and threatened to slash her tyres, telling her: ‘You should kill yourself’. She has suffered insomnia, weight loss and stress-related anxiety, the court heard. Hinds argued that his 40-month sentence for the blackmail and indecent image offences was too tough and should be reduced. But Judge Stockdale said: “The total sentence of 40 months is neither manifestly excessive nor wrong in principle. “The application for leave to appeal is refused accordingly.”