A 21-year-old man has been jailed after blackmailing a teacher into sending explicit videos which he then shared with students, causing the victim to lose her job and attempt suicide.Muaawiya Ameen, from Ellenton, Derbyshire, pretended to be a woman on Instagram and had a sexually explicit conversation with her teacher. During the course of the exchange, the victim sent a video of herself performing a sexual act in the workplace.Prosecutors told Derby Crown Court that Amin later demanded £1,000 to stop the video from being shared. According to The Sun, the teacher paid £400 via PayPal in an attempt to prevent the video from being published and contacted police that day.Despite receiving payment, Amin distributed the video to the teacher’s students. The victim remained anonymous for life, was fired and later attempted suicide.Judge Shaun Smith KC jailed Ameen for 15 months, describing his actions as an “evil act”.“He experienced all the concerns about his privacy, reputation and personal safety,” the judge said. “The money has been paid, but you still sent it.”He added that the consequences for victims were severe.“He had done his job but the worst part was that on the night the book was published he tried to take his own life,” the judge said. “You knew what you were doing and you did it.”In a statement read to the court, the victim described the emotional toll the incident had taken on him, saying he had suffered immense pain and felt his life had been ruined.Amin admitted to extortion. His defense said he acted under pressure and tried to mingle with people he considered friends.His lawyer told the court: “He fully accepts that his actions were wrong and that he was responsible.” He added that he had the support of his family and was employed by a family business.The court heard the victim survived after being contacted on the night he attempted suicide.The case highlights the serious consequences of online exploitation and extortion, particularly when victims are targeted via social media platforms.
