A PAIR of men blackmailed a married businessman with bogus claims that they had pictures of him in a compromising position with another woman.

Liam Smith and Tyler Wickel sent menacing text messages to the family man saying they knew about his 'dirty little secret'.

And Smith also threatened to shoot a member of his staff in a terrifying phone call as he tried to extract cash from him last December, Swindon Crown Court was told.

Despite pleading guilty the pair will still face a trial after Wickel claimed he only played a minor role in the offending and thought the victim owed his pal money.

A judge will now hear evidence and decide the true involvement of both Smith, 21, and Wickel, 20, in the offence.

Colin Meeke, prosecuting, said the victim first received a text reading 'I know about your dirty little secret with Louise', on Monday, December 5.

He said the man could not think of anyone he knew with that name apart from a neighbour and the messages continued suggesting he was having an affair.

"The writer suggested he had pictures of them together. The information would be delivered to various addresses unless money was paid in to an account," he said.

"The writer clearly knew quite a lot about him and was able to continue the threat making further threats to further disseminate the slander."

He said he was then given the details of a bank account were provided to the victim and he was told to deposit money there.

Instead he went to the police, but then started to receive voice calls with the first asking 'Have you got my money, or what?' and other mentioning his wife and child by name.

The caller also threatened to damage his business and put a false, negative, review on a website.

When the victim said he needed time to sort out the money it seemed to annoy the blackmailer who sent a text starting 'Oi'.

Mr Meeke said he recognised that odd opening as from Liam Smith, who he knew had used it in messages in the past.

Then on Wednesday, December 7, the receptionist at the victim's business got a call telling her not to move and then another threatening to shoot her.

Mr Meeke said that the calls were then tracked down to Smith and a lot of telecoms work showed a mixture of sims and handsets used to make the calls.

He said that the bank details were Wickel's and he had also put the false review on the web.

Smith, of Marlowe Avenue, and Wickel, of Moredon Park, each admitted blackmail and sending an electronic communication containing a threat.

But when the court was told Wickel pleaded guilty on a basis which Mr Meeke called 'barely an admission of blackmail' the court ruled there needed to be a trial of issue.

He claimed he thought Smith was owed money by the man, which is why he let him use his bank account, and had written the bad review but did not make any demands.

Recorder Rosie Collins said a judge would have to hear evidence and rule on the true facts of the case and how involved he was.

She released both men on bail to a date to be fixed saying that they had to be sentenced at the same time.