A blackmail charge has been authorised against a man alleged to have illegally accessed private photographs online.
In October 2020 a victim from the Merseyside area reported that he had been asked to pay £3,000 to regain control of computer files that had been hacked.
Detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate launched an investigation after local enquiries linked the alleged offences to a prisoner at HMP Standford Hill on the Isle of Sheppey.
Lee Hemans, 39, has now been charged with blackmail, three offences under the Computer Misuse Act and five counts of possessing prohibited items inside a prison, namely mobile phones, SIM cards and a Wi-Fi dongle.
He will appear before a court on a date to be determined.
