A mum found dead after taking a cocktail of drugs was being blackmailed by her partner who had posted intimate photos of her on Facebook days earlier.
Martin McMenamin began to threaten the woman after she went out with friends rather than spending time with him. The 46-year-old, who is also known as Martin Hill, sent a series of nasty messages to his partner.
One of his messages read: "I was trying to avoid this. I'll let everyone know what you do for money."
McMenamin went onto accuse his partner of being a prostitute and told her that he still had the photos and videos she let him take of them together. He told her that unless she paid him £100, he would upload them onto Facebook, along with her "client list" which he would also give to her parents, reports Teesside Live.
One evening, after his partner had gone out with her friends, McMenamin messaged her: "How dare you sit in my house for the last two hours smoking crack, then f*** off and leave me alone."
At 2.02am he messaged her again: "I'm sat here all on my own with no money and no fags. All I wanted was to spend the day with you. I know how you make your money - don't forget how good I am on computers.
"I worked for Google for f**** sake."
His partner denied that she was a prostitute and said that she spent "all of my money from the DWP" on them.
But McMenamin replied: "Last chance, pay me £100 and I swear to God I'll hand over the flash drive with the photos on."
However, she didn't pay him and he posted an intimate photo of her on Facebook in the early hours of the morning. He wrote: "This is what [the woman's name] really looks like. Did you know she is a prostitute. I'll give you a price list."
His son contacted him to tell him to take it down, but he said he hadn't posted it, and claimed his phone had been hacked. At 4.02am, he messaged one of his partner's friends to say he would make his partner, "the most popular escort girl on Facebook" and that he was "releasing another filthy image of her".
"The videos are coming next," McMenamin messaged, "then the client list." He then posted another image of the woman.
Teesside Crown Court heard that McMenamin's partner was found dead in her bed, by her dad, days later. She had taken a cocktail of substances.
McMenamin, of Brackenfield Court in Eston, pleaded guilty to blackmail and disclosing a private photograph. He has 15 previous convictions for 22 offences, which include burglary, and the possession of an imitation firearm, in 2018.
Robert Mochrie, defending, said that "Mr Hill is genuinely ashamed of what he did. In his meeting with a probation officer, he said he blamed himself for his ex-partner's death."
The court heard that he used to "drive a van around for Google images" and that he was curious about how his ex-partner made her money. Mr Mochrie said his client "could not have imagined there would not be another opportunity to make up with her and continue their relationship".
The woman's daughter told Teesside Crown Court: "She didn't retaliate when he posted the photo. She had given up. She thought her whole life was over."
Speaking to the court, Judge Timothy Stead said: "This is a distressing case. Self-evidently, we can't bring [the woman] back.
"As a result of McMenamin's criminal activities, she suffered profoundly. McMenamin could hardly have done worse, short of taking a weapon and causing really serious injury.
"He implied that she was a prostitute and published sexual images of her, to her enormous distress. The victim's daughter said that her mother said: 'My life is over.'
"That was her state of mind at the time of ingesting a lethal quantity of drugs."
McMenamin was jailed for three years and four months.
After the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Kayleigh Wilson from Cleveland Police, said: “I am satisfied with the sentence handed to McMenamin today and would like to extend my thanks to the victim’s family for their support and patience during a protracted investigation.
“McMenamin’s actions were repulsive and his attempt to put blame on the victim, both before and after her death, caused even more distress to an already grieving family. I hope that today’s sentence can provide them with some form of comfort moving forward.
“Any victim of abuse such as controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence, sexual offences or revenge porn can come forward and report to police with the confidence that they will be treated with sensitivity and a thorough investigation carried out.”
For information on support services please click here: https://www.cleveland.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/daa/domestic-abuse/support-organisations/
The Samaritans is available 24/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or head to the website to find your nearest branch. You matter.
