Over the following days the woman received 245 text messages about the amount to be paid for the return of the car and where the hand-over was to take place.
Justice Cooper said that it was not until three days after the car was taken that Leathers became involved in the plan to extort money for the return of the vehicle.
"A figure of $8500 was agreed upon in exchange for the vehicle. The complainant received further texts warning her of the consequences of not complying with the agreed process, including the non-return of the green box which contained the ashes."
Undercover police were waiting at the rendezvous point in Tauranga.
The judge said that Leathers maintained that he did not become fully aware of the blackmail until they arrived in Tauranga and was really only "tagging along".
He had expressed remorse, particularly for the emotional harm of tampering with the victim's father's ashes.
"Indeed, you stated that if you had known the ashes were part of the blackmail, you would not have participated at all," Justice Cooper said.
Given Leathers' non-involvement in the initial theft of the vehicle, it was fair to say it was his associate who had caused the most harm to the victim, the judge said.
