Obtaining a blackmail injunction following an ex-marital affair
A professional woman was blackmailed after a past affair. Here’s how we protected her identity, her family, and her career.
Case study- blackmail injunctions
Blackmail when a consensual relationship becomes coercive and abusive
When does harassment become blackmail?
Our legal response: a fast-track emergency blackmail injunction
Outcome: a permanent blackmail injunction
If you're facing online blackmail after a relationship
What is blackmail under UK law?
Can I keep my name private in court?
Case study- blackmail injunctions
This case study is about what can happen when someone takes advantage of trust and uses personal, intimate history as a weapon. It’s also a story of how decisive legal action helped one woman escape months of fear, harassment, and control.
We handled this case on behalf of a client- let’s call her Amelia- a dentist and educator working across the Midlands and London. She came to us at a breaking point. She had endured months of psychological torment from a former colleague and ex-partner who used the threat of exposure of explicit material to coerce her into continuing contact with him.
What follows is how we responded to stop the blackmail, protect her identity and give her back peace of mind.
Blackmail when a consensual relationship becomes coercive and abusive
Amelia met the man, whom we’ll refer to as “Daniel”, through work. Their relationship began several years ago while Amelia was under intense personal pressure. Her husband was suffering from long-term mental health issues, and Daniel had presented himself as a confidant.
Their relationship, which involved both personal and professional crossover, eventually turned intimate. As Amelia tried to step back and rebuild her marriage and career, Daniel became increasingly controlling.
When Amelia refused further contact, the messages became aggressive, demanding she meet him. If she didn’t, he said he would “tell her husband everything.” It wasn’t just emotional threats. Daniel had been secretly recording intimate moments and sending her edited collages of those images via WhatsApp.
He also demanded money- initially framed as “donations”- to keep the material private. Over time, the threats escalated into extreme and degrading sexual demands, pressure for in-person meetings, and persistent financial blackmail.
Amelia lived in daily fear. She couldn’t sleep. She avoided work opportunities and social media in case he saw her online presence. She even began worrying for her physical safety, fearing he might show up unannounced at her workplace or home.
Daniel insisted that they meet in person regularly. He would choose a hotel and a date, and Amelia, feeling trapped and fearful, would go along reluctantly. These meetings became a grim routine.
Despite her repeated efforts to disengage, Daniel manipulated her emotionally, insisting each time that this would be the final meeting. The meetings that followed became brief and transactional, often lasting no more than twenty minutes, stripped of any humanity. Amelia felt humiliated and emotionally broken each time.
She was terrified that refusing would result in public exposure or harm to her family, but every time she complied, she felt a part of herself disappear. After one such occasion, she firmly stated that she was no longer willing to see him.
He pestered her and promised that one last meeting would bring everything to an end. Amelia agreed, hoping it would close the chapter. She travelled to the hotel he had selected, unaware that Daniel had secretly set up video recording equipment in the room. It was a setup designed to entrap her further.
What she believed would be the end turned out to be just the beginning of a more sinister chapter. Shortly after that meeting, Daniel revealed the existence of the footage and used it to escalate his threats, turning his blackmail into a horrifying cycle of control.
Taking urgent legal action to stop online blackmail and protect privacy through emergency injunctions
After obtaining the footage, Daniel's demands grew more aggressive. He insisted on continued intimate meetings. This time, Amelia felt she didn’t have the strength to go on. The emotional toll, the fear, and the shame had pushed her to the brink.
She began to contemplate taking her own life, convinced there was no way out. In the meantime, she had made amends with her husband, and they were working on rebuilding their relationship. There was hope returning to her personal life, yet Daniel’s threats remained a shadow over everything.
Thankfully, before taking that irreversible step, she came across one of the case studies published by our firm. Reading a story so similar to her own gave her the clarity and courage to believe that legal support could help her too. She picked up the phone and reached out to us. That moment of contact changed everything.
When does harassment become blackmail?
In Amelia’s case, what began as emotional manipulation quickly escalated into multiple serious legal violations. There were repeated threats to reveal deeply personal and private information unless Amelia gave in to demands for sexual contact, which falls under the offence of blackmail.
There was relentless contact via messages and emails, including threats to appear at her workplace or home, which constitutes harassment. Daniel also shared and threatened to distribute intimate photos and video clips without her consent, a clear misuse of private information.
Some of his behaviour and demands crossed into extremely concerning territory that bordered on sexual coercion and control, which may have amounted to criminal sexual offences. We explained to Amelia that harassment and blackmail are not just emotional or private issues; they are both civil and criminal offences.
Under UK law, when someone uses threats to extract money, sex, or silence, it is considered blackmail- regardless of whether the underlying information is true. The key issue is the use of intimidation to control someone else’s behaviour through fear.
Our legal response: a fast-track emergency blackmail injunction
Because the threats were escalating and involved intimate material, we treated this as an emergency. Our first step was to apply for an emergency privacy injunction. This is a powerful legal order that immediately prevents someone from sharing or threatening to share intimate images or personal information, and from making further contact with the victim.
Recognising the urgency, we worked with Amelia to secure all relevant evidence, including screenshots, messages, financial transfers, and her detailed witness statement. As Daniel had demanded another meeting the following day, we acted without delay.
That same evening- well beyond regular court hours- we appeared before the court and successfully obtained the emergency injunction.
We also applied for an anonymity order, which meant that all court documents, filings, and proceedings would use pseudonyms and that the media could not identify Amelia in any way. Anonymity is vital in cases involving intimate material or blackmail, ensuring the client’s privacy and dignity remain fully protected throughout.
The injunction was served on Daniel that very night. A process server arrived at his door, delivering the order that immediately brought the blackmail to an end.
From that moment, Daniel was prohibited from making any further contact, and he was compelled to hand over all copies of the footage and delete any remaining content.
A few weeks later, we returned to court for a second hearing. This time, the judge reviewed the full scope of the case and granted a permanent injunction through a sealed consent order.
This final order confirmed Daniel was not only banned from further contact or publication but also liable for Amelia’s legal costs. Having such an injunction against you is a serious legal consequence. Breaching it is considered contempt of court, a criminal offence that can lead to arrest, fines, and imprisonment. It is a clear and enforceable statement from the court that this behaviour is unacceptable and unlawful.
Outcome: a permanent blackmail injunction
The legal outcome was everything Amelia hoped for. The injunction gave her back control of her life. Daniel was legally prohibited from contacting her again or threatening to release any of the material.
For Amelia, the legal protection was more than just a document, it was a lifeline. She told us: “I was living in constant fear when I first contacted Cohen Davis. I felt paralysed, struggling to concentrate. My work and mental health suffered greatly. Now I have peace and that is worth more than money.”
If you're facing online blackmail after a relationship
You are not alone. Many people, especially professionals, feel trapped when intimate relationships take a dark turn. The shame, fear of exposure, and worry about family or career often keep them silent for too long. But there is legal help.
At Cohen Davis Solicitors, we specialise in online blackmail, digital harassment, revenge porn, and the misuse of private information. We act fast, confidentially, and decisively.
If someone is threatening to expose intimate material or demanding money, sex, or silence in return for your privacy, speak to us. Our emergency injunction service can often stop the abuse within days.
What is blackmail under UK law?
Blackmail is defined as making a demand with menaces, intending to gain for yourself or cause loss to another. It doesn’t matter whether the material (photos, messages, information) is true or false. If someone is threatening you to get what they want, it’s blackmail.
What is a privacy injunction?
A privacy injunction is a court order that prohibits a person from disclosing private information, including images, videos, or communications. Emergency injunctions can be granted without notifying the other party if there’s an urgent need to prevent harm.
Can I keep my name private in court?
Yes. We frequently apply for anonymity orders in privacy, harassment, and blackmail cases, meaning your name is removed from all public court documents.