TV star ‘left suicidal’ after rent boy blackmailed him with threats to expose sex sessions

An unnamed TV star was blackmailed for thousands of pounds by a male sex worker who threatened to expose their sex sessions, a court has heard.

Alex Garrigan, 26, faced charges in Croydon Crown Court last year.

The court heard that the celebrity had been driven close to suicide by the ordeal, which took place over six months in 2015.

The TV star, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was blackmailed by Garrigan for £18,500 after he threatened to expose details of the man’s sexual exploits online.

The court heard that the star was accused of paying sex workers between £80 and £100 to walk on his body and sit on him as part of a fetish sex game.

According to the Sun, Garrigan threatened the man in an email: “‘If I ain’t got my fucking money, I’m going to start putting posters up everywhere as well. Is it really worth all this?”

He had also attempted to blackmail a teacher, who immediately contacted the police.

The sex worker was jailed for four and a half years over the crime.

Sentencing, Judge Adam Hiddleston branded the crime “despicable”, noting it had caused “despair, depression, and feelings of suicide” in the victims.