Blackmail plot of angry undertaker

A disgruntled undertaker who sent a string of e-mails demanding that a boss he hated get the sack, has been jailed for blackmail.

Father-of-two John Munroe (41) vowed to expose Britain’s biggest funeral firm for “impropriety” unless it dealt with the line manager over what he claimed was disrespectful behaviour.

Munroe made no demand for money but was convicted of blackmail because a judge said he had threatened to disclose discreditable information to the public.

Munroe had fallen out with Sean Knott over allegations he spoke disrespectfully about him and his family and caused great stress to the Oldham branch of the Co-operative Funeral Society.

It was claimed Mr Knott had also spoken ill of Munroe’s daughter who died after suffering from cerebral palsy.

In a string of anonymous e-mails spanning nine months, Munroe suggested Knott stuck two fingers up at a grieving relative visiting her husband in a chapel of rest.

He warned of “substantial financial loss” for the company unless they removed Mr Knott from his job.

He also warned that the consequences would be worse than a revelation last year that two undertakers at a Co-op chapel of rest in York had a dead baby secretly cremated with another body after forgetting to put his remains inside his own coffin before burial.

Officials at the society, which has 600 funeral homes across the country, offered to meet Munroe at a hotel to discuss his grievances but called in police when he refused.

Detectives later analysed Munroe’s emails and traced him back to his home in Bakewell Road, Droylsden.

At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Munroe admitted two charges of blackmail and was jailed for nine months.

Passing sentence, Judge Jonathan Geake told him: “There was no demand made by you for money but you threatened to expose this company for what you deemed to be inappropriate behaviour in e-mails over a number of months.

“While there was no demand for money, courts say threats to disclose discreditable information to the public is often more serious that simple threats of violence.

“The victim in this case would have been concerned for not just a day, but weeks and months, fearing they would be exposed and come under public scrutiny.”

Detectives arrested Munroe’s wife and another man but both were exonerated. Both Munroe and his wife later lost their jobs at the society.

Miss Jane Dagnall, prosecuting, said Munroe made full admissions in police interview.

Mr Knott was suspended from work in February over an unrelated matter, but was reinstated in June.

In mitigation, defence counsel Mr Gerard Doran said: “The defendant wanted Mr Knott dealing with.

“He felt he had behaved badly and thought he was responsible for a good deal of the stress and distress at the society.

“He had spoken disrespectfully to himself and had spoken disrespectfully about his daughter, being aware when she died.”