A west Belfast couple who carried out a year-long blackmail campaign against a former neighbour have both been jailed.
Billy Byrne and his partner Maria Morelli, of Ross Mill Avenue, received between £15-21,000 from their victim, who was unable to pay his mortgage and lost his home as a result of their demands.
Belfast Crown Court heard that the blackmail began after 39-year-old Byrne exchanged words with the fireman over a motorbike left in the communal area of the block of flats where they both once lived.
Several months later, the fireman vandalised Byrne's car.
He later paid him £1,200 for the damage, but both Byrne and Morelli (46) launched a year-long campaign of blackmail.
Fearing the couple would tell his employers and family about the vandalism and he would lose his job, he handed over money following scores of demands for cash.
Judge Elizabeth McCaffrey spoke of the "catastrophic" effect the blackmail has had on the fireman.
Morelli - who admitted her guilt at the outset - was jailed for 20 months, while Byrne - who didn't plead guilty until a later stage and did not display the same level of remorse - was sentenced to 23 months behind bars.
They will serve the same period on supervised licence after their release.
Judge McCaffrey was told by Crown prosecutor Gareth Purvis that in around September/October 2010, the couple and their victim were living in the same apartment block.
Byrne mistakenly believed the fireman had reported him for leaving his motorbike in the communal area, which contravened the rules of the complex, resulting in him being "very confrontational and aggressive over the issue".
The court heard that in April 2011, the fireman returned home drunk from a night out and vandalised Byrne's car, slashing the tyres and damaging the wipers.
Around a year later a meeting between the couple and the man took place. The victim "felt in fear" of Byrne, confessed to the vandalism and paid £1,200 to cover the damage.
Shortly afterwards, Byrne and Morelli moved out of the complex.
However, several months later the fireman was followed home by the couple, who told him he had forced them to move, with Morelli claiming her hair was falling out as a result of stress.
She sent him 16 messages from June 2012 to May 2013, interspersed with calls from Byrne.
Mr Purvis described the messages as a "lengthy series of demands for money... to pay for repeated hair transplants", with texts sent such as 'Do you want people to know about this? I am going to report this to your employers or the police.'
Around £34,450 was demanded by the couple, with the fireman taking out bank loans and borrowing off family and friends.
The prosecutor said he stopped responding to the texts around April/May 2013 as he had "exhausted all sources for which he could raise money".
He told his family and employers about what was going on, and was able to keep his job.
The prosecutor said the fireman now suffers from anxiety and depression, has lost his home and had to enter into a Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) to repay his debts.
Defence barrister Luke Curran said the couple have both expressed remorse.
He said the incident with the bike led Byrne to believe his actions were "somehow justified" but he now accepts the hurt and distress caused.
Regarding Morelli, he said the money she received was used to pay everyday bills.
