Cheree Louise Turner: Blackmail sentence appeal failed over scam on Central Coast businessman

A mother of five blackmailed a Central Coast businessman of almost $1m over a 15 month period, threatening to tell people he raped her if he didn’t pay.

A woman pleaded guilty to eight blackmail offences, after extorting almost $1m from a Central Coast businessman.

A mother of five who extorted almost $1m from a Central Coast businessman has lost an appeal against her jail sentence.

During a 15 month period, Cheree Louise Turner threatened the man, his business, family and property while also saying she would publicly accuse him of rape if he didn’t pay.

During the time, the man paid differing sums of money into her account adding to a total of $993,845.

In August 2019, Turner – aged 29 at the time – was sentenced at Gosford District Court by Judge Tanya Bright to 10 years jail with a non parole period of six years and six months.

Turner’s appeal against a number of factors including the length of the sentence has been dismissed in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal, with the court finding Judge Bright sentenced her correctly.

The woman lost an appeal against her sentence in Gosford District Court. Picture: Sue Graham

Turner pleaded guilty to eight blackmail offences, including demand with menaces by accusation that person has committed serious indictable offence, between August 25, 2016 and October 27, 2017. Seven other charges of demand with menaces to obtain a gain were taken into consideration during her sentencing.

Facts tendered to the court stated that the victim, who cannot be named, was the principal of an accountancy practice on the Central Coast.

Turner and the victim were initially in contact over Facebook and the victim donated children’s clothing and toys to Turner. The pair met to exchange the goods and had no contact for a few months.

Turner initially met the victim over social media and he donated children’s toys and clothes to her.

Turner contacted the victim again and started an online relationship involving the “exchange of sexually explicit photographs”.

“During the course of this period, the victim voluntarily paid some small amounts of money ($200 to $400) to the applicant,” the facts stated.

“It was in this context that the applicant then commenced to commit the offences to which she pleaded guilty.”

The facts state that the offences were committed together with a co-offender who Turner had been in a de facto relationship for 11 years.

Turner began to demand money from the victim, saying she was going to accuse him of raping her and sleeping around if he didn’t pay. On one occasion she demanded $10,000.

“If you don’t, I will plaster information on Facebook and Instagram and do anything to destroy your business,” the text read.

Turner threatened to accuse the man of rape if he didn’t pay.

They met that night and Turner had prepared a statement that she had signed saying if the victim gave her $10,000 she would not take the matter further, make no more contact and not cause harm to his business.

The document read, “I agree to never uploading or telling anyone about conversations, texts, pictures or anything ever discussed between myself and [the victim] also to anyone or on social media platform, also deleting texts, pictures and Facebook messages.

“Never to be brought up again after receiving four payments of $2500 made to my bank account … and never anything more and also losing all contact with each other. I also agree that I or anyone known to me will never approach [the victim] or his business to cause harm or grief.”

Turner threatened to plaster false information on social media. Picture: Denis Charlet

The victim transferred the $10,000 however Turner continued to threaten and extort him over 15 months, also threatening his business, family and property.

The court heard that the offending stopped because one of the victim’s employees reported the matter to police.

During sentencing Judge Bright stated that “the offences outlined above represent specific incidents which took place between 25 August 2016 and 27 October 2017 (being a total sum of $573,955). During this period the victim … was extorted by the offender for a total of $993,845.”

She stated that the offences constituted “sustained and vicious campaign against the victim lasting 15 months which had very significant detrimental consequences to his life”.

While sentencing Turner, Judge Bright took into consideration that she was a single mother, had a limited criminal history, a psychiatric condition and was unlikely to reoffend.

The Court of Criminal Appeal upheld the sentence and Turner will be eligible for parole in early 2026.