KINGSTON, Jamaica — A man was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, suspended for three years with supervision, after he obtained an explicit video of a woman and solicited $40,000 from the complainant by threatening to share the video publicly.

The accused, 21-year-old Omar Brown, a bartender of a Kingston address, was sentenced in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Tuesday by presiding judge Sanchia Burrell.

He was charged with the use of a computer for malicious communication and conspiracy to extort. He was, however, admonished and discharged on the charge of using a computer for malicious communication.

Brown had previously pleaded guilty to the charges laid against him.

Reports are that Brown and the complainant were having a conversation via Telegram, during which the accused obtained an explicit video of the complainant. He then sent the video back to her, demanding that she pay him $40,000 to prevent him from sharing it publicly.

The complainant reportedly paid the money to Brown, after which he was arrested by the police.

On Tuesday, Brown’s attorney pleaded for leniency in sentencing, noting that her client was very remorseful and that this was his first offence.

However, Judge Burrell emphasised that a strong message must be sent to society that using electronic devices to torment others and to gain financially from such actions is unacceptable in the eyes of the court.

“Mr Brown, what you did was very serious. The purpose of sentencing you is to punish and also to deter. We have mastered the art of the misuse of communication devices — they have become instruments of torture and abuse. What you did was wicked. If you had thought about how you would feel if somebody did that to you, I trust that you would not have done what you did. What you did was wretched, it was dastardly, it was utterly perfidious. You cannot use your telephone to abuse and torment people and to benefit financially,” Judge Burrell said.

— Vanassa McKenzie