A 27-year-old man who blackmailed a woman he met on a dating app by threatening to post explicit photos of her online was sentenced to 14 months in prison at District Court in Wan Chai yesterday.
The man, surnamed Lai, pleaded guilty to two counts of blackmail, reports Apple Daily.
The court heard that after meeting the female victim, 24, on dating app Skout in August last year, the two engaged in cybersex, during which the woman appeared fully nude and also masturbated on camera. The same day, the two met up and the woman performed a sex act on Lai on a bus.
After the encounter, the woman was said to have refused to see Lai again. He sent her a message three days later, telling her that he had captured over 200 nude photos of her. He said she could “buy them back” with HKD10,000, or if she was unable to provide the cash, she could “buy him an iPhone instead”.
Lai had also falsely claimed to be a physiotherapist. He works as an office clerk.
He was arrested when police ambushed him during a meeting between the two, set up by the force when the woman reported the blackmail. He told the police that he liked the woman and only blackmailed her because he wanted to “rescue” their “relationship”.
The judge called Lai’s reasoning in using explicit photos to maintain a relationship “absurd”. He also criticised the woman, stating that her actions had ultimately caused her harm.
