A man who subjected a family to months of threats and blackmail in order to steal their money has been jailed.
Jordan Ellis appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday 6 August where he was sentenced to six years.
The 29-year-old, of Bewsey, Warrington, had previously pleaded guilty to blackmail and theft.
In March 2025, Cheshire Police received details about blackmail offences. It was reported that in July 2024, one of the victims in this case was contacted by Ellis (who was using a false name) on Snapchat, who asked him if he ‘wanted to make some money’. Ellis pressured him into sending over his bank details in return for what he promised would be a financial reward.
However, once Ellis had these details, he changed the passwords to the victim’s online banking account, meaning he had full access to the victim’s money.
The victim then started to receive abusive messages from Ellis asking for more money. The blackmail meant the victim asked his parents to send money to his account as he was fearful of the repercussions if Ellis did not receive it.
The victim then closed the bank account due to the repeated threats, but Ellis blackmailed him into reopening it, saying he wouldn’t receive a ‘financial reward’ if it remained closed with no money paid into it.
Ellis continued to threaten the victim, asking for more money and threatening to burn his house down if he did not comply.
The victim created new social media accounts and got a new phone number, however Ellis managed to gain the new phone number and continued to message him, putting him in fear. Ellis then managed to find contact details for the victim’s family members, threatening them into sending him further money. He even made up stories about the family and posted them on Facebook to pressure them into paying the money.
The total amount obtained by Ellis from the victim and his family totalled £11,417.
Ellis was located through telecoms enquiries and was arrested at an address in Newton-le-Willows. He was later charged with the offences.
Detective Constable Gary Cooney said: “I welcome the sentence handed to Ellis, who subjected the victims to a prolonged period of threatening behaviour and torment, while pocketing a huge amount of money for his own gain.
“In interview, Ellis refused to answer any questions put to him by officers, but thanks to a catalogue of evidence against him, he was left with no choice but to plead guilty to the offences.
“I would like to thank the victims for their assistance throughout this investigation and hope the result brings them some closure.”
