2007 royal blackmail plot

The 2007 royal blackmail plot was a UK scandal in which two men attempted to blackmail a relation of the British Royal Family. The relative of the royal family was alleged to have been involved in activities involving drug taking, performing oral sex on a male aide and other things.[1]

Buckingham Palace refused to comment on the situation after The Sunday Times reported the story on 28 October 2007.[2][3] A spokesperson for the palace only stated that it was a police matter and that Scotland Yard was investigating.[3]

The two defendants in the case were Ian Strachan and Sean McGuigan. Strachan, who was arrested on 11 September 2007, was charged under the Theft Act 1968 and was held in custody in Belmarsh Prison.[4] He first applied for bail on 2 November, but this was refused.[4] An appeal was also turned down on 8 December.[4] They pleaded not guilty at the pre-trial hearing on 20 December 2007; the trial began on 14 April 2008.[5]

The two men were convicted on 2 May 2008. Each was sentenced to a period of five years.[6]

The trial was branded a "a joke" and "a farce". Ronald Thwaites QC, described the evidence against Ian Strachan and Sean McGuigan as "insubstantial, insignificant, and incomplete, He went on to say " You cannot convict people on evidence as poor as this – as insubstantial, as insignificant, as incomplete as this."[7]

Ian Strachan maintains his innocence and is currently appealing the conviction.

Notes

  1. ↑ "British royal blackmail". CBS News. 2007-10-28. Archived from the original on 6 May 2008. Retrieved 3 May 2008.
  2. ↑ "Royal 'targeted by blackmailers'". BBC. 28 October 2007. Archived from the original on 30 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
  3. 1 2 tvnz (2007-10-28). "Royal blackmail plot uncovered" (article). tvnz. Archived from the original on 30 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
  4. 1 2 3 "No bail for royal 'blackmail' man". BBC. 7 December 2007. Archived from the original on 9 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
  5. ↑ "2 Men Deny Royal Blackmail Attempt". The Associated Press. 20 December 2007. Retrieved 3 May 2008.
  6. ↑ BBC News report
  7. ↑ Orr, James (2008-05-01). "Royal blackmail case is a farce, jury told". The Guardian. Retrieved 2015-09-20.


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