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Two men guilty of royal blackmail Royal blackmail pair are jailed
(10 minutes later)
Two men accused of demanding £50,000 from a Royal Family member in exchange for tapes featuring gay sex claims have been found guilty of blackmail. Two men who demanded £50,000 from a Royal Family member in exchange for tapes featuring gay sex claims have been jailed for blackmail.
An Old Bailey jury decided Ian Strachan and Sean McGuigan had tried to extort money from the unidentified royal. Ian Strachan and Sean McGuigan were jailed for five years each for attempting to extort money from the unidentified royal.
His identity had been concealed during the two-and-a-half-week-long trial.His identity had been concealed during the two-and-a-half-week-long trial.
Strachan, 31, of Fulham, west London, and McGuigan, 41, of Battersea, south London, had denied charges of demanding money with menaces. Strachan, 31, and McGuigan, 41, both of London, had denied charges of demanding money with menaces.
The two men now face jail after being found guilty of demanding money with menaces.
Among the claims in the recordings were that the married royal, referred to as witness A, performed a sex act on his employee, witness D, at a party.Among the claims in the recordings were that the married royal, referred to as witness A, performed a sex act on his employee, witness D, at a party.
'Walter Mitty' character'Walter Mitty' character
Strachan and McGuigan had used the tapes to demand money from the royal after trying, unsuccessfully, to sell them to newspapers.Strachan and McGuigan had used the tapes to demand money from the royal after trying, unsuccessfully, to sell them to newspapers.
Mark Ellison QC, prosecuting, told the court that it had been a "classic example of blackmail".Mark Ellison QC, prosecuting, told the court that it had been a "classic example of blackmail".
The two men were arrested in a sting operation at a London hotel by undercover police officers last September.The two men were arrested in a sting operation at a London hotel by undercover police officers last September.
The Old Bailey heard that Strachan was a "Walter Mitty"-type fantasist who routinely claimed to be a friend of royals and lived an extravagant lifestyle.The Old Bailey heard that Strachan was a "Walter Mitty"-type fantasist who routinely claimed to be a friend of royals and lived an extravagant lifestyle.
McGuigan, who is a recovering alcoholic, contacted A's representatives last July and was present as the tapes were played to an undercover officer, who posed as a royal aide, in a meeting shortly before the pair were arrested.McGuigan, who is a recovering alcoholic, contacted A's representatives last July and was present as the tapes were played to an undercover officer, who posed as a royal aide, in a meeting shortly before the pair were arrested.