Auckland man impersonated lingerie store manager to get nudes from victim, then blackmailed her

The man was sentenced in the Auckland District Court on Tuesday. Illustration / Andrew Louis

An Auckland man falsely claimed he was the female manager of an underwear store in order to trick a woman into sending naked images of herself to be fitted for lingerie.

The 29-year-old told the woman he needed the images to ensure the correct fit of a transparent bra.

He later used those images to blackmail her.

He’s since pleaded guilty to blackmail and yesterday Auckland District Court Judge Simon Lance sentenced him to five months of community detention and 12 months of supervision for his offending.

Judge Lance said the defendant made a fake Instagram and pressured the woman into sending the images over a three-month period.

After she stopped Judge Lance said the man threatened to share her explicit photos with her friends and family unless she sent more images to him.

She was not previously known to the offender.

The victim wrote in a statement submitted to the court that she had placed her trust in the man, who she believed was a bra store manager, and felt “shame and embarrassment”.

She still has anxiety and wants him to be held accountable for his actions.

Judge Lance said the charge was uncommon and serious, carrying a 14-year maximum term of imprisonment.

He told the hearing the Crown had included the impact on the victim, the stress it caused her, his premeditation, the length of the deception and his threats as aggravating factors.

The Crown submitted a 10-month prison term as a starting point, whereas defence counsel Steven Mutch had requested an eight-month starting point.

Judge Lance credited the man for his lack of previous convictions, engagement with counselling and rehabilitation programmes, remorse letter and early guilty plea.

He accepted the proposition that the defendant would never offend again and hoped he had learnt from his actions.

The community detention sentence allows the man to be outside the home between 5am and 8pm so he can continue his employment.

He is also required to pay the victim a $1000 emotional harm payment.

Following the sentencing, Mutch indicated he would like to make an application for his client to have name suppression.

The judge granted the defendant interim name suppression while Mutch files the application and the media has an opportunity to respond.

Katie Harris is an Auckland-based journalist who covers social issues including sexual assault, workplace misconduct, crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2020.