Police officer in blackmail plot

Cardiff Crown Court heard the blackmail plot was 'bizarre'

A serving police officer was part of a conspiracy to blackmail thousands of pounds out of two different victims, a court heard.

Ray Clarke offered to provide security against a fictitious threat in return for a payment of £24,000 from one of the victims, who was a businessman.

The 40-year-old from Newport has pleaded guilty to blackmail and been dismissed from South Wales Police.

He will now give evidence against three other people at Cardiff Crown Court.

They are: Allan Cole, 45, Simon Somers, 48, and Anthony Holwell, also 48, who are all from Newport.

Mr Holwell and Mr Cole deny two counts of blackmail against builder Mark Griffiths and gaming machine businessman Ronald Hancock.

Mr Somers faces one count of blackmail against Mr Griffiths which he denies.

The offences are alleged to have taken place last October.

A fifth man, Mark Brogan, 37, from Newport, has also admitted one count of conspiracy to blackmail Mr Griffiths.

The effect, bearing in mind what was going through Ron Hancock's mind, of Clarke producing the gun literally reduced him to tears

Huw Evans, prosecutor

Prosecutor Huw Evans QC told the jury: "The prosecution say, ladies and gentlemen, that these defendants have involved themselves in quite a bizarre but quite determined plot to obtain money from the complainants in this case.

"Firstly, Mark Griffiths, who these defendants seemed to believe to be dealing in drugs and in possession of a large amount of cannabis.

"Secondly Ron Hancock, a local businessman who was known to keep a large quantity of cash at his home and was vulnerable to intimidation, being a very nervous individual and security-conscious, whose wife had not long given birth to their second child."

Mr Evans said the motivation for trying to blackmail Mr Griffiths and Mr Hancock was because Mr Cole was in "financial difficulty and desperate for cash".

The jury heard Mr Holwell, who ran a company called Lift and Shift, also had money problems.

Mr Evans said Clarke, who had previously served with the Royal Marines and worked at HMP Cardiff prison before joining the police force, became involved in the conspiracy to help his friend Mr Somers.

'Crooked officers'

The prosecutor said Mr Holwell was the lynchpin of the conspiracy.

He added that Clarke, formerly a constable attached to the tactical firearms unit of South Wales Police, agreed to use his surveillance skills to track Mr Griffiths's movements.

Mr Evans said Brogan, a former brother-in-law of Mr Griffiths, was also enlisted to pass on to him a message that some crooked officers from the Metropolitan Police had photographic evidence of his drug dealing activity, together with an associate named Paul Nutman.

"Mark Brogan agreed to tell them it would cost £20,000 to £30,000 for those offences to go away and they should contact the Met officers on a mobile phone," said Mr Evans.

The prosecutor said Mr Somers was also later enlisted in the conspiracy to pass the same message on to Mr Griffiths.

'Local heavy'

The second complainant, Mr Hancock, owned a business supplying fruit machines to pubs.

The jury heard Mr Holwell had become a close friend of Mr Hancock over the last 10 years and would have been privy to information that large amounts of cash were sometimes kept in a safe at his house.

Mr Evans said that on 13 October Mr Holwell informed Mr Hancock that a "local heavy" had recruited a gang of "gypsies" to carry out a robbery at his house.

The following day Mr Holwell telephoned Mr Hancock to say he knew an ex-SAS officer who was part of a team of police officers who might be able to protect him.

A meeting was arranged that evening in a dark lane near Mr Hancock's home, where Clarke emerged from some bushes close to where they were parked.

He was posing as an ex-SAS soldier, armed with an imitation gun.

'Payment'

Mr Evans said: "He (Clarke) came to speak to Mr Hancock and said he could sort the problem."

At that point, the court heard Clarke produced a handgun which he later admitted to police officers was an imitation one.

"The effect, bearing in mind what was going through Ron Hancock's mind, of Clarke producing the gun literally reduced him to tears," said Mr Evans.

The following day Mr Hancock received a text to say a team of men were guarding his property and a payment of £24,000 in two instalments was required.

Mr Evans said the conspiracy was brought to an end when Julie Buttigieg, a close confidant of Mr Holwell's, told Mr Hancock that his friend was behind the supposed threat.

The case continues.