A fraudster who blackmailed women he met online while posing as a doctor has been ordered to pay back almost £3,500 to his victims.
Farhan Mirza, 38, was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison last November for secretly filming himself having sex with women, then blackmailing them into paying him, saying he would post the footage online.
According to court proceedings, Mirza met some of these women on a Muslim dating site, where he posed as a doctor, wearing a stethoscope in his profile picture.
Judge Tom Crowther QC said: “The fear of exposure of unguarded and private moments is a universal one. There is, however, an additional factor at play here.
“Each of these women was Muslim by faith and by heritage. Each of them knew the consequences of these films being released was devastating.”
Labelled a “sexual predator” in court, the father-of-one was jailed on counts of voyeurism, blackmail, sexual assault, theft and fraud at Cardiff Crown Court last November.
Mirza denied the nine charges, but a jury found him guilty and he was sentenced to eight and a half years.
According to a Proceeds of Crime investigation, the results of which were announced this week at Newport Crown Court, Mirza gained around £8,500 from the women he blackmailed.
However, the investigation ruled that Mirza can only pay back £3,425, Judge Daniel Williams telling the convict he has 28 days to pay the money, or face three months added to his sentence.