Brothers Jailed For Blackmailing Smitten Banker

The Scotsman reports that the two brothers convicted of blackmailing a banker over his frequent visits to a Scottish sauna, and escapades with a vice girl known as 'Cindy', were jailed for eight years Thursday. The judge described the offences as 'sinister and disturbing'.

Leslie Hogarth, 55, an IT professional over at Royal Bank of Scotland, apparently met Cindy (real name Catherine Purcell) at the sauna for twice-weekly sessions over a three-year period. He clearly became infatuated with the 'masseur', and began to drive her to and from 'work', and showered her with gifts, including once allegedly giving her money for heroin, which, she claimed, helped ease the pain she said she suffered due to Crohn's disease. In reality, Ms Purcell is said to have been a heroin addict.

Anyway, Ms Purcell had a boyfriend, 39-year-old Stephen Dobson, and Dobson and his brother John, 36, thought it would be a good idea to blackmail Hogarth, by threatening to reveal his shenanigans to his wife. But the brothers Dobson didn't stop there. In fact, they threatened violence against Hogarth (saying that they would cut off his little 'finger'), and his family, unless he paid up. And pay up he did - to the tune of $16,000.

All's well that ends well though, as the police got involved, the case went to court, and the brothers got banged up.