A former worker at a children's adventure centre tried to blackmail his ex-bosses.

Peter Tobin, 34, demanded £20,000 when he was refused his old job back or he threatened to go to the media with video footage showing what staff "really got up to".

At Lewes Crown Court Tobin, of Ford Road, Arundel, admitted blackmail.

Judge Richard Hayward imposed a nine-month jail sentence suspended for one year.

Tobin was also ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work in the community and pay £300 costs.

The judge told him: "Blackmail is an ugly offence."

The court heard Tobin demanded the cash from PGL Travel, a company which runs adventure and study centres for children in the UK and France.

Julian Woodbridge, prosecuting, said Tobin started work as a stores driver and seasonal worker at the company's centre at Beam House, near Bideford, in Devon, in February 2004. He had some time off work and returned on October 2 2005. But he left again abruptly four days later without giving any notice.

A month later he applied to re-join the company but his request was refused because he had failed to follow the correct procedure when he left his job.

Mr Woodbridge said Tobin contacted the company expressing his disappointment and gave details of the personal reasons which caused him to leave.

The company decided it would offer him another job. He was given the opportunity to work at three other centres but not to return to Beam House, where he had previously been employed.

But Tobin refused the offer because he wanted to go back to Beam House.

On February 21 last year Tobin sent the company an email stating how upset he had been at the firm's decision as he had turned down work in the media industry because he assumed he would be offered his previous job back.

Tobin asked the company to pay him £20,000.

He warned if he did not receive the money by February 24 he would offer to the media 16 hours of edited and unedited video footage showing what staff "really get up to."

Mr Woodbridge said Tobin claimed the footage would be damaging to the company.

On February 23 Tobin sent another email warning there were only 21 hours to go. He claimed he had interest from three TV channels and paying the money was the only way to keep the footage off the television.

The company reported the blackmail threats to the police and when Tobin was arrested he said: "It is not blackmail. It is compensation."

Philip Wakeham, defending, said Tobin's life was now more stable.