Jailed For Blackmail And Money Laundering

A Bournemouth man has been sentenced to six years imprisonment after being found guilty of blackmail and money laundering offences.

Unemployed Peter Kane threatened to harm a 17-year-old Bournemouth woman if she did not pay him thousands of pounds in cash by a set deadline. 

The victim, a mother of a new-born baby at the time, was understandably frightened by Kane’s entirely unjustified demands.

26-year-old Kane was already being investigated by detectives after large sums of money and a high-value car were found at his Bournemouth address during an arrest in December 2009. 

Kane was unable to account for the recovered money – or the Audi S3, valued at around £24,000 – and enquiries confirmed that he has had no legitimate source of income since 2005.

The judge concluded that the laundered money was connected to the illegal sale of drugs.

The Proceeds of Crime Act offences were investigated by DC David Baker.

The officer in the case for the blackmail investigation was DC James Taylor.

DC Taylor said: 

“Peter Kane has been incarcerated as a result of lengthy and complex investigations by Dorset Police and I hope that this sentence sends out a clear message that threats and criminality of this nature will be dealt with robustly. 

“Kane attempted to extort money from a young mother, threatening to harm her and her family. She showed great courage, trusted the police with her safety and provided good evidence in court.

“Her bravery demonstrates that bullies like Kane can be tackled if members of the public trust the police and help us to put offenders like him behind bars.”

Kane was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday 27 January 2012. He was handed a three-year sentence for blackmail and a three-year sentence for money laundering to run consecutively.

Kane was convicted at the same court on 18 November 2011.