Blackmail officer used fake gun

Ray Clarke was giving evidence before a jury at Cardiff Crown Court

A former police officer told Cardiff Crown Court he emerged from bushes with a replica gun in a bid to blackmail a man to hand over thousands of pounds.

Ray Clarke, 40, of Newport, was with a police firearms unit when he offered to protect Ronald Hancock from the fake threat of being "robbed by Gypsies."

He has pleaded guilty to blackmail and been dismissed by South Wales Police.

He is giving evidence against Anthony Holwell, Allan Cole and Simon Somers, all of Newport, who all deny blackmail.

Clarke told the court: "I got the handgun out and said 'how far do you want me to go?"

"He got upset then and said he didn't want to be robbed. He cried as well.

"I put my arm around him and said 'we will get this sorted out for you'."

Mr Holwell, 48, and Mr Cole, 45, deny two counts of blackmail against builder Mark Griffiths and gaming machine businessman Ronald Hancock.

Debt plea

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

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

The offences are alleged to have taken place last October.

Clarke told the court the replica gun was given to him by Mr Cole, who wanted his help to get out of debt.

He said Mr Cole thought his house was going to be repossessed and asked for his help in September last year.

He said Mr Holwell knew Mr Hancock and had driven the man to meet him after telling him the story about Gypsies wanting to rob him.

Clarke added that Mr Cole introduced him to Mr Holwell who said he was owed money by a "druggie" called Mark Griffiths in September last year.

He said Mr Holwell told him Mr Griffiths kept drugs in a lock-up which they could take and distribute to make money.

Drug surveillance

Clarke said he offered to help find the lock-up by keeping Mr Griffiths under surveillance, but when the three of them finally broke in there was only builders' equipment inside.

He said he had then had enough of following Mr Griffiths: "I wanted it all over. I wanted him to pay the money."

He said it was discussed with Mr Cole and Mr Holwell that Mr Griffiths should be pressurised and he left him two notes before buying a SIM card from the supermarket opposite South Wales Police headquarters to contact him by mobile phone.

When Mr Griffiths did not respond to requests to get in touch, Clarke said he contacted Mr Brogan and asked him to tell the man to call him as there were police following him because of his involvement with drugs.

"I told Mr Brogan it was a team of Met officers in the area covertly doing surveillance of Mr Griffiths," he said.

"I told him if Mr Griffiths would comply, it would go away."

Clarke said that while all of this was going on, Mr Holwell suggested trying to get money out of Mr Hancock.

It was Mr Holwell, he said, who came up with the story that gypsies intended robbing Mr Hancock.

Prosecutor Huw Evans QC has previously told the jury how the defendants involved themselves in "quite a bizarre but quite determined plot to obtain money from the complainants in this case."

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

The trial continues.