Edinburgh Man Jailed For Naked Pics Extortion Plot On Facebook

An Edinburgh man is being jailed for 12 months for an extortion plot on Facebook which saw him pose as a woman and persuade another man to send naked pictures of himself. 34-year-old David Mellor previously pled guilty to obtaining £120 by extortion on January 15 and 16 last year. The victim, a married man in his 30s, reported the matter to police the following night. He said he had been chatting on Facebook to a person he thought was a female called "Emma", the previous day. The chat became sexual and he had sent naked pictures of himself. On January 16, Mellor contacted his victim and threatened that unless he paid £600 he would post the naked images on the Internet. Mellor ordered his victim to withdraw £120 in cash at the Tesco Super Store in Colinton Mains Drive and directed him to a bus stop on his mobile phone. Sentencing Mellor, Sheriff Noble told him: "This matter cannot be dealt with in any way other than by custody because of its seriousness. You were preying on this individual". Taking into account the relatively small amount of money, his voluntary attendance and statement and the fact that The Crown has not accepted the early plea of guilty, Sheriff Noble said he would reduce the sentence from 18 months to 12.