Royal Family member blackmailed for ‘gay sex act’

A member of the Royal Family was blackmailed by two men for UKP50,000 over tapes claiming he had performed a gay sex act with an aide, a court heard yesterday (15.04.08).

Ian Strachan, 31, and 41-year-old Sean McGuigan – who were arrested after showing the incriminating footage to an undercover police officer posing as an ‘intermediary’ – have pleaded not guilty to making unwarranted demands with menaces between July and September last year.

The pair are said to have made eight hours of audio and video footage of the royal aide, known as witness D, during which he discussed the sex act and accused his employer of improper business dealings.

Speaking at the trial at London’s Central Criminal Court, prosecutor Mark Ellison said: “He was shown making allegations of impropriety over how his employer conducted elements of his business dealings.

“There were three audio files of the man apparently asserting that the royal who employed him had performed a sex act on him.”

Between March and July last year Strachan allegedly offered the tapes to British newspapers including the News of the World and The Sun, but resorted to blackmail after they refused to run the story.

One of the defendants then reportedly approached the royal, known as witness A.

They are said to have told the royal’s personal assistant: “He’ll call us back if he knows what’s good for him.”

Strachan then contacted a friend of the royal, known as witness C, confirming the tapes included “absolute horrors”.

Ellison said: “C established that Strachan wanted £50,000 from A.”

A meeting was then set up at London’s Hilton Hotel, where Strachan allegedly told an undercover police officer the tapes also included footage of the aide claiming his employer told him how a member of the royal family had “flashed in his face when they were in the lavatory together”.

Ellison said: “The defendants were there equipped and prepared to lie in a manner that would affect blackmail.”