A MAN behind a terrifying blackmail campaign against air stewardesses based at Gatwick has been jailed for eight years.

Airline engineer Keith Downer, 41, sent letters to the women ordering them to

provide him with indecent

photographs of themselves, their uniforms and underwear.

He threatened to torture, kidnap or throw acid over them if they refused to comply.

Downer, who had worked for British Airways for 23 years, was trapped in an undercover operation by detectives based at the airport.

At Chichester Crown Court, he admitted eight charges of blackmail on four women employed with airlines at Gatwick and a 17-year-old shop assistant working near his home in Walton on the Hill, Surrey.

Sentencing Downer, Judge Anthony Thorpe told him: "The offence of blackmail is amongst the most vicious in the criminal calendar.

"It is one of the ugliest offences because, as here, it was designed to inspire such paralysing fear in vulnerable women who have the dreadful knowledge that they are being watched for the sexual gratification of someone unknown.

"The letters you sent these young women are full of revolting details of what you wanted them to do to satisfy your sick demands. They included explicit sketches."

Ronald Jaffa, defending, said Downer was "desperately unhappy at the time" after his marriage had broken down.

References from friends all said the offences were out of character.

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