A blackmailer who became “obsessed” with paedophile hunters has been jailed after trying to extort innocent men out of tens of thousands of pounds.
Tesco worker Thomas McAlinden posed as a female called Cody online in order to get talking to his victims, who he then arranged to meet before making threats and financial demands.
In one sinister incident, the 25-year-old chased a man with learning difficulties home, then sent him a Whatsapp message featuring a picture of the doll from the horror film Saw along with the words: “Do you want to play a game?”
McAlinden – who had Googled “is it illegal to blackmail someone” – demanded £25,000 be delivered to the sandpit at Fraserburgh Academy or “compromising allegations” would be made public.
Another victim was told to travel to Rosehearty in the dead of night and was handed a note demanding £5,000.
Victims were entirely innocent
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard the men targeted by McAlinden had done nothing illegal and were entirely innocent.
Fiscal depute Carol Gammie said McAlinden’s first victim, a complete stranger, suffers from “severe learning difficulties” and is “severely autistic”.
She said: “On May 26 2021, the complainer engaged in conversations with a female he had met online, whom he knew as ‘Cody’.
“Various messages were exchanged before arrangements were made for them to meet at various locations throughout Fraserburgh between May 26 and 27 2021.
“On each occasion that the complainer attended, he was confronted by the accused.”
Victims were total strangers
On the final occasion they met, McAlinden “chased” his victim towards his home address.
At 7.30pm that evening, McAlinden sent him a Whatsapp message saying “do you want to play a game?” and an image of Billy the puppet from the horror movie Saw.
The next evening, an envelope was delivered to the man’s home and opened by his father.
Ms Gammie said: “It alleged that compromising allegations, partly based on information from conversations the complainer had had with ‘Cody’, would be made public if he did not deliver £25,000 to a sandpit at Fraserburgh Academy at a given time on June 9 2021.”
The man’s dad called the police.
In a second note, delivered on June 7 2021, McAlinden ordered the money to instead be dropped at Pitsligo Castle at 11pm.
Police officers attended the castle but did not trace the accused.
McAlinden again posed as Cody to target another total stranger, who he began speaking to on social media on July 3 2021.
They agreed to meet the next day.
Ms Gammie said: “At around 1am on July 4, the complainer went to Rosehearty as agreed.
“As he waited in his vehicle, the accused opened his car door and, whilst shining a torch in his face, threw a letter in a clear plastic bag into the car.
“The letter instructed the complainer to pay £5,000 or his colleagues, family and friends would be told compromising allegations, based on information from his conversations with ‘Cody’.”
‘He wanted to make money’
The note demanded the money be dropped behind public toilets in Rosehearty at 2am on July 17.
The man drove off and later told police about the incident, which officers discovered had been caught on CCTV.
Various documents were later discovered nearby, including McAlinden’s bank statement, a copy of the letter given to his second victim, his first victim’s phone number and emails and social media accounts for “Cody”.
A search of McAlinden’s home found a piece of paper in his bedroom with threats written on it, as well as details about a time and location in Pitsligo, and mentioning £20,000.
McAlinden’s mobile phone was found to contain a user account for “Cody”.
A deleted internet search of “is it illegal to blackmail someone in the UK” was also found.
‘He’s asked me to apologise’
Incriminating text messages also included ones indicating McAlinden had attended at Pitsligo Castle but fled after spotting the police.
McAlinden, of Cairnhill Drive, Rosehearty, pled guilty to two charges of attempted extortion.
Defence agent Stephanie Milligan said her client had no previous convictions, lived with his mother and worked as a customer service assistant in a Tesco cafe.
She said McAlinden’s mental health had been “up and down” at the time, adding: “He’s asked me to apologise to the court on his behalf.
“At the time, he wasn’t thinking about the impact his actions would have had on his victims.
“He’d just lost his job and was struggling to make ends meet and meet his mother’s rent payments.”
‘It was really stupid’
Ms Milligan explained her client had “become obsessed” with videos on YouTube about paedophile hunters.
She said in some of the videos, the hunters requested money from the individual in return for not contacting the police.
The solicitor went on: “This is what gave him the idea.
“He also spent time looking at the comments on the videos and 99% of the comments were saying the people pretending to be children were doing a great thing.
“He wanted to catch people to benefit the community as well as make money.
‘It’s clear the complainers were not doing anything criminal’
“He takes full responsibility for his actions. It was really stupid.”
The fiscal depute told the court there was “nothing to suggest that either complainer was doing anything illegal”.
Sheriff Morag McLaughlin told McAlinden: “This is a really worrying case because you’re so young and a first offender.
“I have also considered the guidelines on the sentencing of young people.
“Notwithstanding the guidelines about young offenders, I find myself unable to deal with this other than by way of a custodial sentence.
“This is a course of conduct that involved significant planning on your part, aggravated by the extreme vulnerability of the first complainer.
“It in no sense excuses your conduct, any misplaced notion you may have had about performing a public service.
“It’s clear the complainers were not doing anything criminal.”
The sheriff said the offences were carried out “for financial gain”, adding: “Such was the level of harm or potential harm that custody is the only way to express the public’s disapproval of this type of offending.”
She ordered McAlinden to be jailed for 13-and-a-half months.
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