A 25-YEAR-OLD Weston man has been jailed for three-and-a-half years after admitting blackmailing a man by threatening to kidnap his family.

Kerry Lewis of Neva Road was also ordered to pay a £1,400 confiscation order within the next six months or face a further 35 days in prison – while still needing to pay up.

On March 14, a man contacted police to report threats being made to his family relating to a drug debt.

The victim had previously served time in jail after admitting possessing class A drug cocaine with intent to supply.

When he was released from prison, the victim was told by Lewis to pay a £4,000 drug debt by the end of the day or members of his family would be kidnapped.

Det Insp Chris Saunders said: “The victim in this case had made a clean break from offending and was trying to rehabilitate himself by moving away from Weston and complying with probation.

“Lewis’ unwarranted threats to the victim and his family were a deliberate attempt to draw him back into the world of drug supply he sought to escape.

“We are committed to supporting all members of the community who need our help and we gave the victim every support measure possible to swiftly and effectively bring Lewis to justice and prevent him from causing any harm.

“We hope our victim-focused approach to dealing with this incident will encourage anyone else with concerns to come forward and report them to us.”

Lewis was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on May 15.