An “enforcer” warned he would blow a man’s head off and made other chilling threats in a blackmail bid.

Brian Roper from Darwen had been recruited as “an enforcer” to obtain £300,000, which was reportedly owed to the man who had allegedly recruited him.

Judge Stuart Driver, KC, said: “You were recruited as an enforcer, no doubt because of your past history of crime in Bolton.”

Roper accepted that he had gone to the victim’s home in Bolton but denied going to demand money with menaces from him. A jury at Liverpool Crown Court however rejected his account and convicted him of blackmail.

The jury heard how on one day, July 14 2021, Roper visited three premises and made threats, leaving the victim shaken and resulting in him installing more CCTV protection at his home.

Olivia Beesley, prosecuting, told the jury that a businessman called Hamid Naraghi met a man called Akhtar Hussain, who was a customer of his catering equipment business.

Eventually he gave him a job and rented him a house. In February 2020 Mr Naraghi sold his business and Mr Hussain asked him for compensation saying he was a partner in the business and was owed £60,000.

Mr Naraghi refused to pay as Mr Hussain had not been a partner, said Miss Beesley.

On July 14, 2021 Roper, after being allegedly recruited by Hussain, went to the home of Mr Naraghi’s daughter looking for him and then went to a warehouse the victim owned, asking a worker, “where’s the d***head that owns this place?”

Before leaving he said: “You will see me again, remember my face. I will blow up his face, remember my face”.  He asked for details about Mr Naraghi which the worker would not give him, and Roper told him: “He owes Hussain some money. Tell him I will be coming back.”

Shortly after this Mr Naraghi was at his gated property when Roper arrived and used the intercom to ask for him. When asked what he wanted Roper replied: “You owe £300,000 to Mr Akhtar Hussain. Are you going to pay?”

The victim said he did not owe him any money, but Roper said: “Pay up or you will have a visit from other guys…if you don’t pay, they will come.”

He then warned “the next visit won’t be so nice”, before turning around and walking to a white van parked nearby.

Unfortunately for Roper the victim had captured his image on CCTV footage.

Roper accepted it was him in the image but denied making any threats with demands.

He said he approached Mr Naraghi as a friend had asked if he could help Mr Naraghi regarding a debt he was owed. He left after being told his assistance was not wanted, he claimed.

Claire Brocklebank, defending, said that Roper’s partner, who has three children, has mobility issues and needs his assistance.

Jailing him for three years, Judge Driver KC told the 47-year-old, of Green Street East, that offences of blackmail are always serious and the case had involved a substantial amount of money and caused psychological harm.