A BUSINESSMAN helped police set a trap in a York car park for an alleged blackmailer whom he claimed had threatened to expose him publicly as someone who paid a woman for sex.

The man gave evidence in the second day of a blackmail trial, under the assumed name of Mr Brown and from behind screens so he could not be seen from the York Crown Court public gallery.

He claimed his personal and work life would be “devastated” if colleagues, friends and relatives knew he had paid an escort girl £140.

Carl Wesley Mason and Emily Anne Akers, of Heworth, are accused of theft and conspiracy to blackmail.

The court heard previously that two men visited their flat in Heworth, and paid Akers for sex, but were then attacked or forced to leave by Mason.

In court yesterday, the businessman alleged that the day after he visited “Jessica of York”, whom he contacted through an escort website, a man phoned him claiming to have a photo of him handing her money and threatening to send them to his work and personal contacts. He agreed to hand the man £5,000 to stop him.

“What would have been the effect on you as a businessman of that photograph being circulated?” prosecution barrister Tom Storey asked him.

“It would have been dramatic and in my personal life extremely serious,” claimed Mr Brown. He later agreed with defence barrister David Dixon the consequences would have been “devastating”.

Mr Brown said after some hesitation he went to York Police, and for hours duped the alleged blackmailer in repeated phone calls by claiming he was getting the money together and driving to a rendezvous in Morrisons car park in Foss Islands Road. But instead he was following police orders, and shortly after the last call ended abruptly he was told there had been an arrest.

The prosecution alleges the blackmailer was Mason, whose girlfriend, Akers, was visited by Mr Brown four days earlier. Mr Storey showed the jury a police surveillance video, allegedly of Mason being arrested by plainclothes police near the tall chimney in Morrisons car park while he was on the phone to Mr Brown.

Mason, 31, and Akers, 23, both then of Millgarth House, Harcourt Street, Heworth, deny blackmail and conspiracy to steal. Mason denies two charges of assault.

The jury was shown print-outs of the escort website and an advertisement placed by “Jessica of York” giving a phone number, her vital statistics and saying “I just love sex” as well as other erotic comments. The prosecution claims “Jessica” was Akers.

Mr Brown alleged he was directed to Millgarth House after phoning the number on the website on September 20. Inside was a blonde woman who asked for cash, and he gave her £160.

He claimed a man immediately appeared and “duffed him up” before forcing him out of the house. Later he realised he had lost his Blackberry, which contained many personal and work contacts, emails and other personal and business information.

The next day a man calling himself “Sam” phoned him at a London hotel whose details were in the Blackberry and claimed to be the man he met in Akers’s house and to have photos of him with the blonde woman.

After some negotiations, Mr Brown agreed to pay him £5,000 so he would hand over the phone and the photos and “go away”.

The trial continues.