Man blackmailed over affair

Christian Robert Edward Shepherd was sentenced to two years' and three months' imprisonment after being found guilty of blackmail. File photo / Natalie Slade

A Hamilton blackmailer has been jailed for threatening to disclose a man's affair to his partner.

Christian Robert Edward Shepherd, 34, unemployed, was sentenced to two years' and three months' imprisonment when he appeared at the High Court in Hamilton yesterday, The Waikato Times reported.

He was found guilty of blackmailing the Cambridge victim, whose name was suppressed following a trial in March.

He had earlier admitted threatening the same man with grievous bodily harm.

After learning of the affair last year, Shepherd demanded $1000 from the man to keep quiet.

The call was followed by a series of threatening texts which Justice Christopher Allan described as "truly frightening".

In one, he threatened to break the man's knee caps.

The victim deposited $1000 into Shepherd's bank account but when the threats continued he confessed to his partner and called police.

The victim to this day is reluctant to work at night and still worries about what Shepherd may do to him and his family, Justice Allan said.

- NZPA