The hotel booking linked back to Khan and police visited his home. While the police were taking the victim’s statement, Ilyas called him and in a conversation partly recorded by officers, claimed he had been pressured into being involved in the plot and was scared himself. Calls were also made to his wife and his business. He was then bombarded with calls and messages from various numbers. That was followed with a video of the two of them in bed and a warning that the entire encounter had been recorded and would be posted on social media and sent to his wife unless he paid £25,000 by midnight that day. One hour later, a response came through saying: “No. Ms Haque said: “The victim sent a message saying ‘thank you and safe travels’, a reference referred to Ilyas saying he was travelling to Oxford and saying he was a nurse who worked there.” They again had sex after talking for a while, with Ilyas encouraging him to confide his fears about why he was nervous about meeting up.
The trio went before Preston Crown Court after admitting offences relating to the plots at earlier hearings. Ilyas was assisted by Aman Khan, 33, in blackmailing one victim, a man from Manchester, and by both Khan and Khalil Chaudry, 29, in a separate plot involving a second victim, a man from Burnley. One victim was "effectively held hostage" in a bedroom while being recorded, before being driven round in a car for about three hours while threats were made that they would visit his home and tell his wife and children, LancsLive has reported.