Former Stanley goalie jailed for sex video blackmail plot

2:27pm Friday 5th September 2008

A FORMER Accrington Stanley goalkeeper who blackmailed a top Premier League footballer over a sex video has been jailed for 20 months.

Ashley Timms, 22, demanded £15,000 from the star, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Timms, from Middleton, made a series of threats to publish the images if he was not paid the cash.

The sex video clip involved a woman and the footballer engaged in sex at his home.

Timms pleaded guilty last month and was jailed today at Manchester Crown Court after admitting making a series of unwarranted demands with menaces.

Passing sentence, Judge Andrew Gilbart said: “Blackmail always calls for a custodial sentence.

”The abuse of your friendship for simple greed is an aggravating feature.

”This was a calculated attempt to extract money for your own benefit.

”It is depressing that in a society where there is supposed to be more sexual freedom, some popular newspapers and magazines continue to dress their interest in it as some form of moral indignation when what they are actually doing is making money from their readers’ interest in sex and salacious gossip.”

The Manchester-born goalkeeper played with Manchester City’s under-19 side and had spells at Altrincham, Atherton LR, Curzon Ashton, Mossley, Shrewsbury Town, Runcorn and Accrington Stanley.