Friday, October 29, 2010 2:22pm ET by  
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'Global superstar' blackmailed

An unemployed man who tried to extort thousands of pounds from a female 'global superstar' musician has been jailed by a London court for seven years. 

Ordered to serve half his time in prison and the other in community service, Sebastian Bennett tried to get £54,000 from the singer by threatening to sell photos found on a stolen laptop to the newspapers.

The harassment started in November 2009, when the celebrity, who cannot be made for legal reasons, lost her house keys and was burgled. 

The famous star issued a statement in court in which she said the thought of her private information being exposed "was absolutely awful". 

Bennett laughed out loud from the dock when the sentence was passed in Isleworth Crown Court today.