Two men have been jailed for a combined total of 24 years after they blackmailed a man and forced him to hand over £1,800 in Basingstoke.

Tony Berridge, 40, of Landseer Close, Basingstoke, and Callum Smith, 32, of Stocker Close, Basingstoke, were both jailed for 12 years at Winchester Crown Court on Thursday 23 January.

The court heard the pair blackmailed the victim, a man in his 70s, and made him transfer £1,500 into an account on 21 March 2024.

The victim was then driven to the Shell fuel station on Winchester Road and made to withdraw £300 from a cashpoint on the same day.

On 25 March, the victim was woken up at his Basingstoke home. He was assaulted and told to transfer £4,000 into an account – but the transfers were blocked by his bank. His home was ransacked and alcohol, clothes and 800 Euros were stolen.

Officers launched an investigation and charged Berridge and Smith with blackmail and robbery.

Berridge pleaded guilty to the offences. Smith pleaded guilty to blackmail and was found guilty of robbery following a trial at Winchester Crown Court.

The pair were both jailed for 12 years at the same court on 23 January.

Detective Constable Frank Jones, who led the investigation, said: “Firstly, I would like to thank the victim in this case for coming forward and helping us get this case through court.

“Understandably, the victim has been impacted by what happened in March last year and I would like to commend his courage throughout the investigation.

“Tony Berridge and Callum Smith planned and executed this horrendous blackmail plot and were motivated entirely by greed.

“It was a complex investigation and I would like to thank colleagues for their efforts to ensure that Berridge and Smith will spend a lot time in prison for what they did.

“I hope this sentencing result shows that we do not tolerate this kind of offending and will work relentlessly to bring offenders to justice.”

Blackmail and fraud can leave people feeling incredibly vulnerable and intimidated. Our advice to anyone being blackmailed is to call the police immediately. Do not delete any correspondence, do not pay up, and do not communicate further with the offenders.