Two people accused of blackmailing a top executive at a Formula 1 racing team by demanding cash have appeared in court.
Sarah Surita, 31, and Ryan Hilton, 42, are charged with demanding money from the former exec.
The pair appeared in court only to confirm their names, addresses and dates of birth.
The alleged blackmail regarded an ‘unwarranted demand of money’ in November 2014, court documents said.
Hilton faces two counts of fraud by false representation, according to The Sun.
The suspect has also been charged with stalking without fear, alarm or distress relating to ‘repeated social media posts of a derogatory nature’, court documents say.
Surita faces one charge of fraud by false representation. The pair are understood to have been charged in January.
The pair entered no plea before being released on bail, but were told not to contact their alleged victim.
Both suspects deny making threats or that their actions amounted to blackmail, according to East Berkshire magistrates’ court in Slough.
They also claimed the alleged victim’s complaint to the police was inaccurate, The Sun reported.
The trial will continue at Reading crown court on April 30.
