Pair deny blackmail officer plots

Anthony Holwell and Allan Cole deny blackmail charges

Two men accused of conspiring with a serving police officer to blackmail thousands out of two different victims have denied the charges against them.

Anthony Holwell and Allan Cole, from Newport, told Cardiff Crown Court they had no idea of plots by Ray Clarke, 40, also of Newport.

Clarke was with a police firearms unit when he offered to protect a businessman from a fake robbery threat.

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

A fourth man, Simon Somers, 48, of Newport, was acquitted after Judge Roderick Denyer QC ruled there was insufficient evidence to show he had knowledge of the conspiracy.

Mr Holwell, 48, and Mr Cole, 45, deny two counts of blackmail.

I said I didn't want to get involved in any of it - I didn't want to follow him or take his drugs - it was later on I got involved

Anthony Holwell

Mr Holwell told the trial he had no reason to get involved in blackmailing people for money.

But said he was aware his brother-in-law, Mr Cole, was in financial difficulties.

Mr Holwell said he gave information to Clarke and Mr Cole about builder Mark Griffiths, who he believed was a drug dealer.

He said he told them Mr Griffiths kept the drugs in a lock-up and if they found it they could take the drugs.

Plan B

"I gave Allan and Ray Clarke the information, I got involved at a later stage," he said.

Huw Evans, prosecuting, asked why he did not just lend Mr Cole the £20,000 he needed.

Mr Holwell said he did not think Mr Cole would pay him back.

Mr Holwell said that when the men found the lock-up, he broke into it for them because Clarke did not know how to do it.

"I said I didn't want to get involved in any of it. I didn't want to follow him or take his drugs. It was later on I got involved," he said.

He said he was not aware of any 'Plan B' to blackmail Mr Griffiths when no drugs were found.

Second victim

The second victim was gaming machine businessman Ron Hancock.

It is alleged the men blackmailed him into handing over £24,000 for Clarke to "protect" him after they told him he was going be robbed.

The prosecutor told Mr Holwell: "You were at the centre of everything going on in this bizarre scheme that evolved.

"This was all a result of desperate men being desperate for money at this time."

Mr Holwell replied: "Well, I wasn't."

Mr Holwell's co-accused Allan Cole told the court he was in financial difficulties after he "had a mid-life crisis and lost the plot".

He said his friend Clarke also had money problems and asked if he knew of any work he could do.

Mr Cole said he mentioned this to Mr Holwell, who suggested following Mr Griffiths and taking drugs from his lock-up.

He said Clarke began following Mr Griffiths within days and when the police officer had to start his shift he would take over the surveillance himself.

Mr Cole said he was not happy when Clarke told him he had involved another man, Mark Brogan, in the plot and that he decided not to have any more to do with it.

Brogan, 37, from Newport, has admitted one count of conspiracy to blackmail Mr Griffiths.

Mr Cole added that he knew nothing of the conspiracy to blackmail Mr Hancock.

He said his car was only seen outside Mr Hancock's house because he was in the area trying to find his teenage daughter's boyfriend who he did not approve of.

The offences are alleged to have taken place last October.

The case continues.