POLICE OFFICER JAILED FOR BLACKMAIL AND ABUSE OF POLICE AUTHORITY
A police officer pretended to be a paedophile hunter and demanded £3,500 from a sex offences suspect in her blackmail plot.PC Marie Thompson attempted to blackmail a man who was arrested for possessing indecent images of children.
In January 2023, the man received an email from a ProtonMail address demanding £3,500 be paid into a bank account, with an account number and sort code provided.
The email claimed to be from paedophile hunters and stated the payment would 'ensure that information remains between you and us'.
Later the same day, the man's partner received a text message requesting a reply was needed by the end of the day.
The man did not transfer any money but contacted South Yorkshire Police.
Thompson falsely endorsed a police report saying he did not want to pursue a complaint, and later lied about the sender of the email and text message being traced.
She falsely claimed that the sender could not be traced.
She was suspended from the force in March 2023.
Investigations revealed that the text was sent from her personal mobile phone, and email fragments matching the demanded money’s heading were found on her laptop.
Thompson, who remains suspended, admitted to blackmail and perverting the course of justice at Leeds Crown Court on September 4.
She is due to be sentenced on October 30.
The prosecution noted that her conduct was a gross abuse of her position and a serious violation of trust, emphasizing that police officers are held to higher standards.
