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| Pair jailed for blackmailing man | Pair jailed for blackmailing man |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Two Claudy men have been jailed for a year after blackmailing a business associate and threatening to shoot him. | Two Claudy men have been jailed for a year after blackmailing a business associate and threatening to shoot him. |
| Patrick Magowan, 46, and 32-year old Brian Conwell, were told they would have faced longer sentences. | Patrick Magowan, 46, and 32-year old Brian Conwell, were told they would have faced longer sentences. |
| However, Judge Tom Burgess said the community relied so heavily on them for jobs there would be a real danger of the loss of employment. | However, Judge Tom Burgess said the community relied so heavily on them for jobs there would be a real danger of the loss of employment. |
| The victim was threatened with a gun and told he would be shot if he did not hand over £8,000. | The victim was threatened with a gun and told he would be shot if he did not hand over £8,000. |
| Conwell, from the Gortscreggan Road, pleaded guilty to five counts of blackmail on dates between 3 July and 31 August 2006, as well as a charge of possessing a gun or imitation gun. | |
| Magowan, from Learmount Road, admitted one count of blackmail and one of conspiring to commit blackmail. | Magowan, from Learmount Road, admitted one count of blackmail and one of conspiring to commit blackmail. |
| Judge Burgess said having heard evidence that Conwell was the "driving force" behind Castleview Partitions Ltd, with Magowan as the contracts manager for the firm, their imprisonment for an extended period would "give rise to a real danger of the loss of employment of others" who mostly come from the Claudy area. | Judge Burgess said having heard evidence that Conwell was the "driving force" behind Castleview Partitions Ltd, with Magowan as the contracts manager for the firm, their imprisonment for an extended period would "give rise to a real danger of the loss of employment of others" who mostly come from the Claudy area. |
| However, he said the 12-month jail terms would "give a clear message that behaviour like this is simply unacceptable". | However, he said the 12-month jail terms would "give a clear message that behaviour like this is simply unacceptable". |