Woman staged her own abduction to trick ex into paying ‘kidnapper’ £2,000
A woman who pretended to be kidnapped to try and fool her ex into giving her £2,000 has been jailed.
Leah Jumeaux, 20, created a false hostage scene and took photos of herself bound and gagged next to a gun in October 2020.
Acting as the ‘kidnapper’, she texted the pictures to her ex-boyfriend, demanding he pay the money for Jumeaux’s safe return.
But he went to the police and Jumeaux’s lies quickly came to light.
She told detectives she made the whole thing up because she needed money to buy her family presents for Christmas.
Jumeaux, from Blackpool, was sentenced to 34 weeks in a young offender’s institution after she pleaded guilty to fraud.
She was also ordered to pay a £156 victim surcharge.
Detective Constable Lisa Carr said: ‘Jumeaux’s behaviour and actions were bizarre.
‘I hope a custodial sentence will give her time to reflect the gravity of her actions and learn from her very serious mistakes.’
Jumeaux was originally charged with blackmail by fraud and false representation but prosecutors accepted her guilty plea for the lesser charge of fraud.
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