Men who blackmailed Burnley woman jailed (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Men who blackmailed Burnley woman jailed

2:27pm Saturday 22nd September 2012 in News

TWO ‘NASTY’ predators who blackmailed a young woman before threatening to throw acid in her face have each been jailed for four years.

Javaad Daar, 34, and Zilwan Saeed, 21, conned the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, out of sentimental jewellery worth £5,000.

As the threats increased she was even forced to hand over her wedding ring.

The victim, from Burnley, was targeted by Saeed, when he visited her at work in Nelson two or three times a day, a court heard.

They initially befriended her and gaining her trust, before the pair began to put their plan into action.

Sentencing, Judge Andrew Woolman said: “Courts always regard offences of blackmail as extremely serious. It's a nasty offence because of its insidious nature and custody is inevitable.”

The judge said that while Daar was the brains behind the operations, with the motivation of paying off heavy drug debts, Saaed had issued the nastiest of the threats.

In January this year, Saeed told the woman that he had come to the UK from Iraq, but his mother was suffering from breast cancer. In February the woman handed over £800 worth of jewellery, given to her as a wedding present, to him.

Just hours later she received a call from Saeed, who said he had somebody with him who wanted to speak to her.

He handed over the phone to Daar, of Cliffe Street, Nelson, who told the woman that Saeed, of St Ives Road, Halifax, was working for him, and demanded more jewellery.

Daar told the woman that if she did not hand over the jewellery he would tell her husband and her family that she had been sleeping with Saeed.

The woman then handed over more jewellery, including her wedding ring.

The pair were convicted of blackmail following a trial at Preston Crown Court in July.

The hearing was told Daar had a criminal record, whilst his co-defendant had no previous convictions.