Rooneys 'blackmailed over stolen family photos'

Coleen Rooney was subjected to a £5,000 blackmail plot involving hundreds of personal family photos on her stolen camera, a court has heard.

The cash was demanded from the wife of the Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney in return for her Samsung digital camera which contained more than 400 photos on the memory card, a jury at Manchester Crown Court heard.

One snap allegedly showed Wayne Rooney "pissed or stoned and on all fours". Other photos showed the couple's son Kai, family holidays and their home and wider family, which were all touted for sale to newspapers and magazines. Jennifer Green, 25, and Steven Malcolm, 42, deny handling stolen goods and blackmail between 13 August and 11 September last year. Ms Green's partner Lee Platt has already pleaded guilty to both charges.

An undercover police officer, known as Pc James, told the court he posed as a representative for the Rooneys willing to pay to get the photos back. He said he telephoned "Liam Price" – a false name allegedly used by the defendants in negotiations – and was told the price was £5,000. A deal was struck and a meeting agreed at a Manchester hotel on 10 September last year. Mr Malcolm turned up and handed over a folder containing more than 400 thumbnail photos along with the camera memory card – and was promptly arrested, the court heard. The trial continues.

PA