Doncaster police officer who blackmailed suspect to cover gambling debts is jailed
A Doncaster police officer who blackmailed a suspect in one of her own cases for cash in an attempt to cover her gambling debts has been jailed.
An internal South Yorkshire Police investigation revealed that Marie Thompson tried to cover her tracks but has now been jailed for three years and four months following the investigation by the force's Professional Standards Department (PSD).
In 2023, Thompson had anonymously contacted a suspect she was investigating through a nameless email account.
She told the suspect that to keep the allegations against them quiet, they had until midnight to pay a £3,500 ransom.
The suspect reported this to police and the investigation was allocated to Thompson due to the link to the case she was already investigating.
She then recorded a false entry in her pocket notebook stating the individual, who cannot be named due to reporting restrictions, did not wish to take any further action in relation to the blackmail.
A few days later, Thompson sent another anonymous email from the same account with the subject 'I'm so sorry', stating the sender had been desperate, had no excuse for the previous email and was going to cease all contact.
A PSD investigation was launched when suspicions were raised about Thompson, who was still in her probation period with the force. She was arrested in October 2023 and immediately suspended from duties.
PSD carried out extensive enquiries which revealed evidence that the emails had been sent from her personal laptop. It also emerged Thompson was in significant debt through gambling.
Thompson, 29, pleaded guilty to blackmail and perverting the course of justice at a hearing at Leeds Crown Court on 4 September.
Today (Thursday 30 October), at the same court, she was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.
Following her guilty plea, a Regulation 13 notice was served to Thompson at the direction of Chief Constable Lauren Poultney.
A Regulation 13 notice is issued to probationers deemed unfit to serve as a police officer. Thompson subsequently resigned from the force on 16 October 2025.
Detective Constable Alexandra Furniss, the officer in charge of this case, said: "Thompson's crimes are shameful and cast a shadow over the excellent work being delivered for our communities by policing colleagues driven by fairness, integrity and trust.
"There is no place in our force for police officers who fail to live and work by our values and standards. Our work to root out these individuals continues in our tireless bid to ensure our force builds and maintains the trust and confidence of the public."