Racketeer faces up to 14 years in jail for blackmail

RACKETEER Sukhpal Singh is facing up to 14 years behind bars after blackmailing students into handing over nearly £1,000 for protection.

Singh, 21, from Oakridge Road, High Wycombe, terrorised two groups of students who moved into his street, saying if they didn't pay up they would be robbed or attacked, a court heard.

Amjad Malik, prosecuting at Reading Crown Court on Wednesday, said the blackmail started when a group of students moved into a shared house in the road in September last year.

Mr Malik said Singh developed an image in order to intimidate students so he could obtain money from them.

After the first group fled, a second group of students moved into the same house.

Singh tried the same tactics on them before they too fled in terror and called the police.

Mr Malik said: 'He Singh said he could stop all trouble happening to the students. He said their homes and their cars would be damaged. He said they would be kept safe for £50 a month.

'He Singh was creating the image of a nasty, evil man.'

The defendant had denied blackmailing the students and a female neighbour.

However, the jury found him guilty of nine counts of blackmail carried out over a five-week period.

They also convicted him of a single charge of burglary after one group of students had audio equipment stolen.

Judge Charles Elly agreed that pre-sentence reports should investigate his class A and B drug problem before sentencing on October 23.

Singh was remanded in custody.