TWO brothers are facing jail after being convicted of extorting £10,000 from a married man over his three-year relationship with a prostitute.
Stephen Dobson, 39, and John Dobson, 36, claimed they were merely collecting a loan on behalf of Catherine Purcell, 31, known as Cindy, but a jury yesterday decided they had blackmailed the victim.
The man, 55, an IT worker with a bank, told the H
igh Court in Edinburgh he had been warned that if he did not buy their silence, the brothers would tell his wife about regular visits to a sauna where he paid for sex.
He also said he had been threatened that his finger would be cut off, and his wife would be raped in front of their children if he failed to come up with the money or contacted the police.
The jury returned majority guilty verdicts against each brother on a charge of extorting £10,000 from the man, and on a second charge of attempting to extort £2,000 from another man on an earlier occasion. That victim was a drug user who had been accused by the pair of "grassing" on someone during a previous court case.
The brothers, both of William Jamieson Place, Portobello, Edinburgh, are to be sentenced later this month.
The £10,000 victim met Ms Purcell in 2005 at Carol's Sauna, Easter Road, Edinburgh.
He said he had gone there for "female company, relaxation and sex". He visited the sauna once or twice a week, and later began to see Ms Purcell away from her work. Their relationship lasted about three years, and he estimated he had spent thousands of pounds on her.
Ms Purcell told the court that the man had said he loved her, and wanted her to move in with him because he was having problems with his wife.
He showered her with gifts, such as jewellery and flowers, and paid bills for her. She admitted leading him on, but said she had been "very appreciative" of his kindness and generosity.
On 17 October last year, the man received phone calls from the brothers and was told to meet them just outside Musselburgh, East Lothian. "They indicated I was going to have to pay £10,000 to them. Stephen Dobson produced a knife and held it against my face. They were quite insistent I would be able to get my hands on such a sum," the man told the court.
He went with the brothers to a bank in George Street, Edinburgh, where he negotiated a loan, payable over five years, and an immediate cash withdrawal of £10,000, handing over the two wads of £50 notes to the brothers.
A few days later, he confided in a colleague and the police were informed. The man told his wife, and he said she was now considering divorce.
The jury heard that after leaving the man in George Street, the brothers had gone to a shop and paid £640 for designer clothing. When they were detained a few days later, police recovered only £350. Ms Purcell was charged with them, but the case against her was later dropped. She gave evidence for the prosecution at the trial, and denied any involvement in the extortion.
There is no law which bans the media from identifying adult victims in extortion trials. However, there is wide, if not universal, acceptance within the media that anonymity should be maintained.
