An investigation into reports of a man being scammed, robbed and blackmailed has resulted in an arrest.
Police were called after he was reportedly threatened and made to hand over cash by two people in balaclavas.
The victim claimed he’d been tricked into attending a Bulwell address to meet a woman he’d been talking to online.
When he showed up at the house on 7 July, however, she wasn’t there, and he was instead confronted by men in masks.
Believing they could have a knife in their possession, the victim did as he was told when they demanded he give them money.
After managing to get away unharmed, the man called the police, before being contacted by a mystery number a few days later.
He went on to receive numerous messages threatening to release explicit images of him online unless he transferred money.
After he refused, and both pictures and derogatory messages were published, he continued to be blackmailed with threats to keep the posts up.
Following an extensive investigation into the respective offences, detectives were able to identify and track down a suspect in the case.
A 17-year-old boy was subsequently arrested on suspicion of robbery and blackmail on Monday (21 July).
Detective Constable Jim Bravant, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“The victim in this case was subjected to a terrifying and degrading ordeal – both during the robbery and through the continued threats that followed.
“Focusing on the robbery first, this is an incredibly serious offence that can have long-lasting ramifications on a person’s life, whether from a physical or emotional standpoint.
“That latter point is doubly true when you add the type of blackmail – known as sextortion – that the same man then also reportedly experienced afterwards.
“After committing the robbery, whoever was responsible then decided to carry on tormenting the victim by making these threats. We believe they only decided to do this after recognising the victim was vulnerable.
“Sextortion can destroy lives and have a devastating impact on victims – causing distress and fear, while making them feel deep shame and embarrassment.
“Neither of these offences is acceptable, which is precisely why we’ve devoted so much time and effort to this investigation.
“In terms of that, we’ve now arrested a suspect, but our enquiries are still very much ongoing, so we’d ask anyone with information to share it with us.”
Information can be reported directly to the police on 101, quoting incident 634 of 7 July 2025, while Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.
