Playboy blackmailer jailed

A BLACKMAILER who used nude pictures of a wealthy businessman's wife to obtain $500,000 and then spent the money on a string of women was jailed for 12 years at the High Court yesterday.

Ma Yuan spent part of the cash on his girlfriend, and squandered the rest on women in China, Mr Justice Stuart-Moore said.

Ma, 24, who had extorted the money from the couple by threatening to send copies of the pictures to the family and neighbours, was convicted of three charges of blackmail. He was cleared of kidnapping.

The 26-year-old victim claimed she was kidnapped and then stripped naked so Ma could take photographs.

But Ma said the woman was once his lover, and had consented to the pictures.

Ma, who obtained $500,000 for the pictures in 1994, tried to extort $1.5 million this year, the court heard.