Haley Meijer, heiress to the hypermarket empire Meijer and its more than 200 branches, can find solace and retribution in the jailing of her former husband and blackmailer James Casbolt. This puts an end to a bizarre case involving out of this world claims, sexually explicit photos, and a £2m ($3.1m) extortion attempt. For his efforts, Casbolt gets 12 years in jail.
The ex-husband's extortion all began after the failure of his marriage to Haley which officially ended in 2013. It is during this time that Casbolt threatened to release compromising photos of Haley. Immediately after this announcement he followed through with the threat and posted the incriminating pics on Facebook and an adult website. In exchange for putting down the pics, Casbolt demanded the £2m extortion.
Email exchanges between Casbolt and Meijer reveal the escalation of aggression from the estranged lovers. He claimed to be "inexhaustible" and that "I could do this for years." He also threatened the tycoon Hank Meijer, father of Haley, saying that "your dad could by lynched in the street." Along with these he posted photos of himself armed with a sword and gun.
Casbolt also harassed two other women while out on bail. He sent threats to top surfer Tassy Swallow and hair stylist Simone Everett, sending them links to a supposed serial killer called Slenderman.
In his blog, Casbolt wrote that he was "chosen for an intelligence agency mind control and genetic enhancement program before my birth." He claims to possess "super soldier skills."
Judge Christopher Clarke of Truro crown court described James Casbolt as a person with a "highly intelligent and criminal mind." He adds, "Your intentions were evil. You sought to intimidate and humiliate Haley Meijer. You were not mad, but you were bad and very dangerous to know. You present a significant risk to the public."
