External Link/Members OnlyHidden Image/Members Only⚖️ TRIO REMANDED OVER ALLEGED BLACKMAIL AND ROBBERY WHICH LEFT VICTIM WITH A BROKEN ARM
A man who arranged an appointment with a sex worker ended up sustaining a broken arm and being blackmailed, a court has heard.
Appearing in the dock of Belfast Magistrates Court on Thursday, the three alleged blackmailers confirmed they understood the charges against them.
The defendants, 31-year-old Kristina Ponisi, Sarah Elaine Ponisi (46) and 43-year-old John Joseph Goodman, are jointly charged on three counts of robbery, blackmail and burglary with intent to steal on 23 April this year.
Goodman, from Sliabh Dubh View in West Belfast, was further charged with having a weapon, namely a pair of scissors, inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and possessing Class C drug diazepam.
Giving evidence to the court, a police officer said he believed he could connect each of the accused to the charges.
Only Kristina Ponisi, with an address at Black Ridge Meadows, applied for bail and during that application, the court heard how the alleged victim had “arranged to meet an escort at his apartment.”
According to the police case, Sarah Ponisi, from Springfield Avenue, was the escort and she attended the victim’s home where “there was an interaction” with the victim.
Around 4am however, a male arrived at the door and “forced his way in,” said the officer, adding that police believe that male was Goodman as the description given by the injured party is a match.
“The male has lifted a pair of scissors and grabbed the injured party by the throat, holding the scissors to his throat and made a demand for more money to be transferred,” the court heard.
At this point, Kristina Ponisi is alleged to have entered the property and reminded her co-accused that “a taxi was waiting outside” for them.
As the trio left, they are alleged to have lifted the complainant’s laptop and when he tried to get it back, he was allegedly pushed to the ground “and as a result of that, he has sustained a broken arm.”
They also allegedly took his mobile phone and he told them he was “prepared to pay to get that back.”
“He had asked the taxi driver for help at this stage,” said the officer, adding that when Goodman and Sarah Ponisi took him back inside, he was told he could get the phone back if he transferred another £200.
After that, they all left but in the days following the incident, the complainant received demands for more money to be transferred “or videos taken of him would be released.”
When officers spoke to the taxi driver, police attended Kristina Ponisi’s address where both she and Goodman were arrested from their bed.
“At this stage, every bit of evidence we have would suggest involvement of all three parties,” the officer told the court, adding that police “have serious concerns about the risk of interference and further offending.”
The phones of each of the defendants have been seized “and we hope that the videos are on the phone but we cannot say whether they have been shared or transferred to other devices.”
While a solicitor for Kristina Ponisi suggested there was little evidence to connect her and nothing to suggest she poses a risk of harm, the detective highlighted there was an element of planning to the offence.
In addition to the online advert, , “they have gone to someone’s house, intent on getting considerable money through blackmail, believing that the embarrassment of the videos being shared would stop him from going to the police.”
The lawyer suggested that “a range of conditions” could be attached to any bail order but District Judge Anne Marshall disagreed.
The judge revealed that Kristina Ponisi has a previous conviction for actual bodily harm and possessing a weapon and is currently subject to a suspended sentence imposed in February.
“I think the risk of further offending is high and the risk of witness interference is also high so therefore, I am most firmly refusing bail without any hesitation whatsoever,” Judge Marshall declared.
All three defendants were remanded in custody and the case adjourned to 28 May
ENDS
Copy by Paul Higgins
Photo: Defendants Sarah and Kristina Ponisi
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