WebsiteA woman posed as a man to blackmail her victim on a gay dating app.
Megan Hume, 26, used Grindr to try and extort money from the man at her home in Glasgow’s Knightswood in November 2018.
Hume threatened that if he did not pay her £50 then she would post an explicit picture he sent of himself online and to his workplace.
She pled guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to a single attempted extortion charge.
The court heard the victim and Hume – using a ‘ghost account’ with no name or photograph – began chatting on November 2.
The pair agreed to send sexually explicit images to each other.
A male sexual image was sent to the victim by Hume before he sent one in return which included his face.
They then exchanged mobile phone numbers.
Hume called the victim from a withheld number and the pair chatted in order to match the profiles with the numbers.
Hume stated she was “David from Anniesland” before ending the call.
Prosecutor Jennifer Gilmour said: “The victim received further messages on Grindr from the ghost account.
“The user at that time said that unless £50 was sent, they would circulate the previously sent sexual image online, to his home and place of work.
“The victim was embarrassed and agreed to that and asked to pay the following Wednesday, November 7.”
Further calls were made by Hume to the victim about the £50 and he then contacted the police.
The victim recorded several more calls throughout the week that were made by Hume.
These included Hume providing bank account details and another where she “sounded annoyed” and threatened to go to the victim’s place of work.
On the date of the agreed payment, the victim received ten calls which included threats that the images would not be deleted if she was not paid.
A police check on the number traced it to one that was used to call the police in June 2018.
The recording of the call was tied to Hume who had identified herself at the time.
She was later arrested, cautioned and charged, before telling officers: “It’s a load of s****.”
Ian McCarthy, defending, told the court: “It was a serious matter and she accepts her guilt.
“She regrets her involvement and the social work reports says she is deeply ashamed.”
Sheriff Lindsay Wood asked Hume why she did this, and she replied: “It was just the situation I was in with the house.
“It was in a downward spiral and I have learned to live with it.”
It was revealed Hume – who is unemployed – has one previous conviction for four theft charges from 2014.
Sheriff Wood ordered Hume to undertake 100 hours of unpaid work and placed her under supervision for 12 months.
She will also be tagged for four months, keeping her indoors between 9.30pm and 6am.
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