Jail in blackmail case

A Melbourne man who attempted to blackmail a senior political figure has been jailed for four months.
Jake Della-Vedova, 25, was handed an 18-month sentence, suspended for 14 months, for threatening to out the married public figure after secretly filming the pair having sex.
The Victorian County Court heard Della-Vedova attempted to extort $15,000 after he met the man on a gay dating website and later discovered the man’s identity.
Della-Vedova pleaded guilty to the charge and the court heard he threatened to release the film on the internet or hand it over to the media unless the victim paid up.
Della-Vedova was arrested and charged in July last year after the unnamed political figure lodged a complaint with police about the blackmail demand.
According to reports, Judge Lisa Hannan said Della-Vedova’s actions were -œcallous and calculated.
The name of the victim has been suppressed by the court.