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Today's Paper | May 04, 2024

Published 02 Nov, 2016 05:05pm

Boxer Amir Khan says happy to drop charges against blackmailer

British boxer of Pakistani origin Amir Khan who was being blackmailed by a stranger in relation to an alleged sex tape said he was 'happy to drop charges' against the man.

The Daily Mail reported that the boxer was blackmailed by 27-year-old Hamza Din, who emailed Khan's management team claiming to be in possession of a video of Amir Khan with a woman. After the blackmail attempt failed, Din was given a suspended sentence.

The Bolton Crown Court heard that Hamza Din sent an email to Khan's team saying the video showed him and 'a girl' together in a Newcastle hotel room. He threatened to release what he said was '100 per cent real' footage if he did not receive a response.

He demanded money, saying he would release the clip to the media unless the boxer's team was able to 'match the price' the video could fetch, the Mail reported.

The prosecution said that the blackmailer created an email account under the name Harry Dean, but it was traced and he was arrested.

Din pleaded guilty to a single charge of blackmail and was sentenced to 16 months in prison, suspended for two years.

In a statement read to the court, Khan said, "I do not want anyone else to be put in the position that I and my family have been put in".

QC Simon Myersen who was defending Din termed the blackmail attempt 'spectacularly inept'.

He said there was "no such video", and that the incident the boxer was threatened about "did not occur".

Judge Richard Gioserano observed that Din was suffering from undiagnosed and untreated bipolar disorder, and praised Khan's response to the incident.

He added that Din's allegations were "completely baseless".

"When Mr Khan was told, he knew that it could not be true. He was worried about the harm that the mere making of an allegation, though baseless, could cause. It is to his credit that Mr Khan has expressed a wish that he is treated medically rather than be jailed," he said.

The boxer tweeted, "I am happy to drop charges, now it's up to the law."

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