A “well-known professional football player” jumped from a hotel window in only his underwear.
Bristol Crown Court has been hearing of how a Premier League football player, who cannot be named for legal reasons, jumped from a hotel window in only his underwear as men involved in a plot to black mail him burst into the hotel room. He managed to flee, still in his underwear, down a fire escape.
The football player was filmed in the hotel room with a woman who was not his partner. The Court heard how their ‘meeting’ was filmed as part of the blackmail plan.
Natalie Wood, 28 from Cleethorpes, is the woman the EPL star met with, and she is alleged to have conspired with 3 others, Nathan Coleman, 38, Tyrone Coleman, 34, and Prince Rowe, 37. The plot involved leaving a spare room key for the 3 men for them to enter the room to ‘bust’ the footballer. Ms Wood had already met the footballer on two previous occasions following his pursuit of her on social media.
The jury at the Court proceedings heard how, having fled through the window, the footballer ran to a local restaurant and awaited police assistance. It is unclear if he was clothed by this point.
Simon Jones, prosecuting at Bristol Crown Court set out the case to the jury:
• 2017: ‘Footballer X’ sent Natalie Wood a social media message
• This lead to 3 separate hotel meetings between the pair – ‘Footballer X’ sent money to Ms Wood to pay for each ‘meeting’
• In 2018 a blackmail plot was put into place allegedly by all 4 defendants to extort money from ‘Footballer X’ via threats to expose footage to the press if he did not pay money demanded
• The plot backfired when ‘Footballer X’ bolted out of the window and did not cave to the blackmailers demands
• Following his window escape in his underwear, ‘Footballer X’ contacted the police who subsequently arrested the defendants
• Text messages from Ms Wood to ‘Footballer X’ after his departure were threatening and demanding money within 24 hours or else footage would be released.
Ms Wood, has pleaded guilty in Court to conspiracy to blackmail. In a statement to the Court, she confirmed she became associated with Tyrone Coleman following his appearance on ITV’s ‘Take Me Out’.
She stated that it was after she spoke about her ‘relationship’ with the footballer, it was Coleman who arranged for her to meet Rowe and Nathan Coleman (his brother).
Ms Wood told the Court that she was “used as bait” due to her personal connection with a high profile sports man and blames Prince Rowe for the idea to cash in on this.
Footballer X admitted being “intimate” with Ms Wood previously despite having a partner.
The trial continues.
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