Stephen Boyd jailed after undercover police tape blackmail plot 18 January 2013 Last updated at 17:20 A man who blackmailed the owner of a takeaway business into handing over £5,000 has been jailed for four and half years at Belfast Crown Court. Stephen Boyd, from Avonorr Drive in the east of the city, admitted blackmailing the Chinese businessman and causing criminal damage to his car. The court heard threats were made to the victim in a series of phone calls. Police were informed and undercover officers made recordings of contacts between Boyd and his victim in 2010. Belfast Crown Court was told that the takeaway owner received 17 phone calls from an extortion gang between February and April 2010, seven of which were made by 44-year-old Boyd. During the calls the businessman was threatened that if he did not hand over the cash, he "would be hurt." The takeaway owner was also told that if he did pay, a dossier containing details of alleged involvement in illegal activities, would be destroyed. Prosecution lawyer, Tessa Kitson, told the court that unbeknownst to the extortion gang, the police had been made aware of the threats and were recording the calls. During one such call, it was alleged that Boyd told his victim to "ring your house now and see what present I have just left you." The lawyer recounted how, when the victim contacted his home, he was told that paint stripper had been poured all over his daughter's car. Videotaped In another of the calls an arrangement was made for the victim to hand over £200 in person as a "down payment." That meeting, which took place at Sintonville Avenue on the Upper Newtownards Road on 25 March 2010, was videotaped by undercover police officers. The takeaway owner was also wearing a hidden microphone and he recorded Boyd making arrangements to collect the rest of the money the following week on 1 April. On the day of that meeting, the victim also received numerous calls threatening that the gang had photographs of his daughter. However, on 1 April, police moved and arrested Boyd after the businessman handed the rest of the cash over to him. The accused initially denied involvement in police interviews but later pleaded guilty to blackmail and criminal damage. Sinister individual Mrs Kitson told the court that although "there may well be suspicions," it was accepted the blackmail plot was not committed "on behalf of any paramilitary organisations." Defence QC Frank O'Donoghue revealed that all through the court papers, there was "frequent reference to a more sinister individual" whom he would not name but who had a greater role to play in the blackmail plot. Judge David McFarland said he accepted there were "others involved in this particular scheme" but that Boyd had played his role in it too. He ordered that Boyd spend half his sentence in prison and half on licence