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▲Dean Carder used his position as a security guard to blackmail a university student (Image: Facebook)
A security guard at Imperial College UK blackmailed a foreign student by claiming it was against the rules to let his girlfriend stay at university halls, according to sources.Dean Carder, 33, of Aubyn Square, Wandsworth, abused his position as a security guard to prey on a Chinese medical student, telling him a pack of lies about 'unauthorized guests' and a 'broken tenancy agreement' in a bid to squeeze cash out of him.Dean Carder invented a £3,500 fine then told the student he could pay a £2,400 back-hander for him to turn a blind eye at Imperial College accommodation in June 2022, Southwark Crown Court heard on Friday, February 23.The first year student, who cannot be named for legal reasons, secretly recorded their conversation, filmed himself putting the first £700 cash payment in an envelope, then took the evidence to management at the Wilson House halls, near Paddington, on the same night.Carder was immediately suspended by Diligence Security Solutions and later quit his role before he was arrested.Under questioning, Carder denied the scheme and claimed it was actually the victim who approached him but he had refused to take the cash. This was a total lie, and around 10 months before a trial, set for November this year, Carder reversed his pleas and admitted a single count of blackmail.Carder had been working in security roles for 16 years, and was well thought of by colleagues, when he accrued gambling debts of more than £12,000 in summer of 2022.On June 1 that year, he noticed the student's girlfriend at Wilson House and, seeing an opportunity to earn some money, knocked on the victim's door and told him he was under investigation.But, the offense - of 'having an unauthorised guest in a room for a long time' - was made up. "Although students are required to inform the halls of guests, there is no penalty and fine or loss of accommodation," prosecutor Carol Summers explained.Carder told the student he was in breach of his tenancy agreement and searched his room, combing through the couple's belongings before interrogating them both separately. The girlfriend had been staying with the victim for around two months, but Carder insisted there was CCTV evidence she had been there six months.Carder then warned he would tell the college management who would issue a fine of £3,500. "All of this was false, but [the victim] did not know this at the time," said Ms. Summers.Carder then took the victim for a walk, to explain 'how serious it was', and told him 'If you scratch my back, I will scratch yours'. This prompted the student to start recording the conversation.After the mention of a bribe, the student offered him £2,000. Carder counter offered £2,400, claiming it would be difficult to delete all the CCTV and evidence of key card use.He also boasted he had 'done it' in the past for others. The victim then agreed to pay £2,400, but said he could only withdraw a maximum of £700 in one transaction.Carder took him to a cashpoint to get £700 and then told him to wait until 12 am to get the next £700. The student told him it might still take weeks to get the rest of the money from his parents, so Carder threatened not to delete all the footage until the full amount was paid.After withdrawing the first load of cash, the victim reported Carder to a warden and he was removed from his role.'I felt paranoid and unsafe'
The Chinese student, apparently living on a £300 a month stipend, said the £700 loss had left him unable to afford a deposit on his second year room, which meant he had to live with his girlfriend."I felt paranoid and unsafe. I could not trust any of the security team," the victim said. "The crime was shocking. It happened at my college accommodation somewhere I should be protected."Ms. Summer said Carder was there 'to protect students' but he abused his position and 'targeted' the student for 'his own ends'. "He was perfectly placed to commit this crime," she added. She also noted Carder's boast that he had previously 'helped' other students, which suggested it might not be his first time.Defence counsel James Lachkovic said the blackmail had arisen from Carder's £12,000 gambling debts. "Those debts preying on his mind caused him to act in the way that he did," the barrister argued.He also said the crime was a 'substantial fall' from Carder's 'effective' previous good character as he called for the judge to take an 'exceptional' course with a suspended sentence."He is deeply embarrassed by [the crime], is apologetic, and appreciates now the effect his behaviour had on the victim in this case," added Mr. Lachkovic.But Judge David Tomlinson took little pity on Carder's gambling troubles as he sent him to jail for two years. "To transfer your woes onto an inexperienced overseas student is shameful," he roared. "Send him down."As Carder was taken into the cells, his family burst into tears in the public gallery, telling the court 'his whole life is wrecked now' and that the prosecutor was talking 'bullshit'.Add Wechat FLA5555 to ask to join the international students' wechat group.
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