A SOUTHAMPTON woman blackmailed innocent motorists by threatening to expose them as kerb-crawlers unless they handed over cash.

Theresa McLaughlin-Taylor and her accomplice Christian Ward targeted lone motorists in the inner city area of Southampton.

They threatened to report them for kerb-crawling if they did not drive to a cashpoint machine and hand over cash. Today they are both beginning four years behind bars after being convicted to two charges of blackmail and two of kidnap.

Southampton Crown Court heard that they targeted one driver at a junction after he got lost while leaving Saints' St Mary's Stadium.

McLaughlin-Taylor, 20, got into the stationary vehicle and told the driver kerb-crawling was a criminal offence, and if the police were brought in his wife would be told.

Accomplice Ward, 30, then opened the door, removed the ignition keys and threatened to smash up the vehicle unless he handed over cash.

He gave £40 but the pair demanded more and told him to go to a Barclays cashpoint. But on the way the driver stopped in a line of traffic and rushed over to a group of people pleading for help.

Ward and McLaughlin-Taylor were released but within hours were back to their old tricks.

They intercepted another driver at a junction and she told the horrified driver he had been "touting for business" and unless he paid up, she would accuse him of rape.

However, the driver foiled the threat by flashing his headlights at an oncoming police car to attract attention.

McLaughlin-Taylor, of Hawkley Green, Weston, and Christian Ward, of Warburton Road, Thornhill, were convicted of two charges of blackmail and two of kidnap.

Ward also pleaded guilty to living on McLaughlin-Taylor's immoral earnings for which he received a six-month consecutive sentence.

"She was your meal ticket," said Judge Christopher Leigh QC, hearing how Ward had used the cash to buy clothes, a holiday in Tenerife and pay his £140 a week drug habit.

He was said to have 18 previous convictions for 40 offences which included a four-year stretch for robbery, handling, forgery and deception.

Christopher Parker, defending McLaughlin-Taylor, said she had been doing her best to break off her heroin abuse, and she had not worked the streets since her arrest. "She presents herself as a medium risk of re-offending."

Ian Hope, for Ward, said he wanted the best for his co-accused, regardless of the situation he found himself in.

"The offences are at the bottom end of the scale. No weapon was used, although I accept threats were implicit."