A MAN who threatened to use compromising photos to reveal a friend's affair has been found guilty of blackmail.

Jobless Ramtin Ebrhimpourkoloor, of Priory Road, High Wycombe, was convicted of the offence by a jury after a five-day trial at Oxford Crown Court, which ended on Friday.

The court heard how Iranian-born Ebrhimpourkoloor demanded £10,000 from his victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and threatened to send the man's wife incriminating photos of him with his mistress if he did not pay up.

When the defendant was caught with two copies of the blackmail letter in his car, he claimed that the plot was hatched between the victim and his wife to scare away the "gold-digging mistress."

Ebrhimpourkoloor, who came to England in 1981 during the Iranian revolution, was arrested on January 8 after the businessman received a letter demanding the cash.

Basil Hillman, prosecuting, said that when police arrested the defendant they discovered that he was £6,000 in debt - and that was the motive behind the scam.

The court heard that the businessman and Ebrhimpourkoloor had become friends. Then the victim, who confessed to his affair with a beautiful 22-year-old woman, said his marriage would end if his wife found out.

Judge David Morton Jack adjourned sentencing for three weeks, awaiting reports on the defendant.

Ebrhimpourkoloor was remanded in custody.

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