SHEFFIELD, UK — A South Yorkshire police officer has admitted to blackmailing a suspect by pretending to be from a vigilante paedophile hunting group.
PC Marie Thompson, 29, posed as a member of “Paedophile Hunters” and demanded £3,500 from a man under investigation for allegedly possessing indecent images of children. The blackmail attempt occurred in January 2023, months after Thompson had arrested and interviewed the man as part of her official duties.
Thompson anonymously sent the man an email, providing bank details for payment and warning him to respond by the end of the day. She also texted his partner using her personal mobile phone, further pressuring the victim. The man never paid the sum and later received another email from Thompson apologizing and claiming she was “desperate.”
When the man reported the incident to police, Thompson recorded in the system that he did not want to pursue the matter—a lie that formed the basis of her perverting the course of justice charge.
A follow-up investigation uncovered that the email had been sent from Thompson’s laptop, and the text message had originated from her personal phone. Authorities also found she was in significant debt due to gambling, possibly providing a motive.
Thompson was arrested in October 2023 and suspended from the force. She pleaded guilty to blackmail and perverting the course of justice at Leeds Crown Court and is awaiting sentencing on 30 October.
Officials, including the CPS and senior officers at South Yorkshire Police, have condemned her actions as a serious abuse of public trust and a disgrace to the profession.
