Blackmailer bound for Masterton

Convicted blackmailer Hayden Doug Spike Needham, 25, will serve his sentence in Masterton.

An Auckland man who tricked a young woman into sending nude photographs of herself to him, and followed up with blackmail threats, will serve his home detention in Masterton.

Hayden Doug Spike Needham, 25, threatened to post the revealing shots online unless she sent more photos to fake online profiles he had created.

He also obtained photos of another woman, wearing lingerie. Again, he made demands through a fictitious online profile for more, otherwise he would make public what he had.

Needham was arrested in late 2012 and last year admitted two charges of blackmail, for which he was yesterday sentenced to five months' home detention at his aunty's Masterton property.

He is banned from using the internet during that time unless probation officials give him permission.

The High Court at Auckland heard that the first victim, who was known to Needham, received text messages from him in 2010 purporting to be from a colleague called Adam.

"Adam" gained the woman's trust and she sent him naked photos of herself.

In 2011, Needham created another fake identity called Chris, who claimed to have brought a secondhand laptop with photos of her on it.

Posing as 'Chris', Needham told the woman he would upload the pictures to Facebook unless she provided him with more.

The next woman was blackmailed in 2012, after Needham obtained photos of her wearing lingerie when she was a teenager.

When police caught up with Needham he admitted his offending and said he was sorry, something that Justice Duffy said showed his remorse.

She gave him credit for that and his lack of previous convictions.

Crown prosecutor Dale Dufty said Needham's offending happened when he was a "fully grown man who should have known better".

APNZ