Pair jailed over £375,000 attempted extortion

High Court Edinburgh
High Court Edinburgh

Two men jailed for a total of ten years after extortion of £60,000 and attempting to extort £375,000 more from a Fife property developer.

John Edward Cowbrough, 47, from Airdrie and James Wilson, 53, from Tillcoultry, were convicted at the High Court in Edinburgh and each was sentenced to five years imprisonment.

Between 1 January 2013 and 1 March 2013 the accused sent their victim, a property developer from Inverkeithing in Fife, anonymous letters in which they threatened to kill members of his family unless he paid £60,000. The letters were spelled out with letters cut from newspapers.



The accused then made anonymous telephone calls in which they pretended that the letters had been sent to him by dangerous criminals and that the threats would stop once the funds had been handed over. They instructed him where and when to deposit the money.

The victim then confided in the accused Wilson, who was a work colleague and friend of twenty years, unknowing that he was in fact behind the threats.

Wilson offered his services as a courier, telling his victim that he would safely transport the money to those who were demanding it. His victim agreed to this plan and handed over the £60,000 which was then retained by the two accused.

Between 22 April 2014 and 9 May 2014, the accused again attempted to extort their victim, this time sending anonymous hand-stencilled letters threatening violence against him and members of his family unless he paid £375,000. Again the victim received numerous anonymous telephone calls, promising that the threats would stop once the money had been handed over. Becoming concerned about the level of their knowledge of his movements, the victim reported the matter to the police.

Following their conviction, Proceeds of Crime actions have now been commenced against both accused, and are next due to call for a first Procedural Hearing on 8 February 2016 at Edinburgh High Court.

Speaking on the conclusion of the case, Kenny Donnelly, Procurator Fiscal for High Court cases in the East of Scotland, said: “Blackmail and extortion of this sort can have a profound financial and emotional impact on its victim.

“I would encourage anyone who receives threatening material of this nature not to suffer in silence.

“Scotland’s police and prosecutors will deal with any such allegations with the sensitivity they deserve, and will make every effort to ensure that the perpetrators are apprehended and brought to face the full force of the law.”

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