A man who blackmailed and threatened a student into handing over £7,000 in cash has been jailed for two years.

Mital Shah, of Cunningham Park, Harrow, was found guilty on three counts of blackmail at Harrow Crown Court on Thursday, March 12, and sentenced the following day to two years' imprisonment.

The 23-year-old had asked a friend to borrow several hundred pounds from her in 2010, with further repeated requests for money. Within the space of two weeks she had transferred £2,700 into his account.

The constant requests only stopped when the victim told him she had given him all of her student loan.

Between 2010 and 2013 the victim constantly tried to get Shah to repay her, but he ignored her.

Then in September 2013, the victim again asked Shah to pay her back and he said he would need £200 to release her money, so she handed over £100 believing this would help.

Despite this agreement, Shah's victim still did not receive the money she was owed, and instead transferred a further £4,800 into his account in December 2013 after receiving several text messages from him threatening to burn her house down, kill her family and kidnap her brother.

Shah continued to bombard the victim with menacing threats to her and her family until she reported the matter to police in December 2013.

Shah attended Harrow Police Station in January 2014. He was arrested on suspicion of blackmail and charged in June 2014.

Detective Constable Janine Stevenson said: "I am pleased that Shah has been found guilty and that justice has been done for the victim. Shah's threats towards her and her family were extremely worrying and caused them a great deal of distress."