A 24-year-old mother who extorted money from victims by distributing intimate photographs and subsequently claiming to be an underage girl has been handed a suspended prison sentence at Grimsby Crown Court.
Demi Sweatman, alongside her former partner Charlie Anderson, 22, used social media and dating platforms to lure targets before demanding cash under the threat of exposing them to their families. Despite a judge condemning the operation as 'disgraceful and nasty', the mother-of-three avoided immediate custody after providing prosecution evidence that led to Anderson's conviction.
Sweatman, of Werneth Road in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, received an 11-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months. She was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and attend 15 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days. Anderson, formerly of the same address, was given a 16-month sentence, suspended for two years, alongside 100 hours of unpaid work and 10 rehabilitation days.
The court heard the offending began in May 2023 when Sweatman uploaded an image of herself in pink lingerie to Instagram, accompanied by a caption inviting users to 'Snap me'. After one man responded to the post, she offered to provide nude photographs for £20.
Following an initial exchange of images and money over WhatsApp, the victim asked if she wanted to meet in person. Sweatman replied, 'only if I get £50'—a sum the man subsequently paid.
At this point, the nature of the exchange shifted. Sweatman informed the victim she was a 15-year-old girl and threatened to alert his family and friends about the correspondence unless he transferred another £50. Her demands quickly escalated to £300. When the victim protested via message, Sweatman threatened to send associates to his home address unless further payments were made.
The man ultimately transferred more than £1,150, with £500 traced directly into an account belonging to Anderson. Humberside Police arrested the pair shortly after the incident was reported. Both denied the allegations and were released on bail while officers continued their investigation.
While on bail in October 2024, Sweatman committed a second offence using Facebook Dating. She posted a photograph offering further nude content, drawing a response from a student who transferred money for pornographic material.
Repeating her previous method, Sweatman acquired the young man's details, claimed to be 15, and threatened to expose him for soliciting the images. The student initially paid £40 for the photographs, followed by £250 after the threats began.
Demi Sweatman appeared at Grimsby Crown Court(Image: Humberside Police)A mother of three who sent explicit photographs of herself to men online in exchange for payment subsequently blackmailed her victims by falsely claiming she was 15 years old. She threatened to inform the…pic.twitter.com/axG9y5gdfW
Source: International Business Times UK
