“Bored” employee jailed after blackmailing boss

An employee has been jailed for more than seven years after attempting to blackmail his boss for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Christopher Read was found to have sent emails to the managing director of Tek4, in which he threatened to delete essential company data.

According to Leicester Mercury, Read’s ransom was originally set at £20,000 – however it gradually increased culminating in a demand of £200,000 in Bitcoin.

The company’s insurers allegedly lost £42,000 in cyber-response expert fees and one million pounds in turnover.

Cyber-crime detective Constable Annie Frost commented: “What was particularly unsettling about this case is that Read posed as a victim throughout, not only including himself as a recipient of the emails but at one stage even calling 999 claiming to have been followed in his car.

“He was present when the effects of the threats were being felt and witnessed the incredible distress it was causing Mr Duffin, someone who trusted him implicitly.

“In interview, Read initially claimed he was bored. He thought he could create the problem then swoop in with a solution, saving the day by demonstrating his brilliant technical nous.

“What Read hadn’t accounted for was his boss reporting it to police.”

Read has been sentenced to seven years and six months in jail.

The case serves as timely reminder to employers on the importance of safeguarding their employee data.