A civilian police worker has been jailed for nine months after she tried to blackmail a female teacher out of £15,000.

Mother-of-two Jeanne Shepherd - whose husband works as a prison officer at New Hall women's prison near Wakefield where she could now be sent - was suspended from her post as a front desk inquiry assistant following her arrest earlier this year.

Shepherd, 48, of Upper Green Lane, Brighouse, and her 36-year-old sister Jane Doran, of Green Lane, Brighouse, both pleaded guilty last month to the blackmail charge which related to an incident at the teacher's home in May.

Full details of the case cannot be reported because of a judge's order, but Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday that during a confrontation at the teacher's home Shepherd threatened to go to the papers or inform the police if she was not paid the £15,000.

The teacher gave her a cheque for £5,000 and said a further £10,000 would be paid into Shepherd's account later.

Prosecutor Joanna Butler-Savage said the victim was left "frightened and intimidated" by the incident, but two days later she contacted the police herself.

Her bank stopped the cheque being paid and when Shepherd was arrested she broke down in tears and apologised to her husband.

In a victim impact statement the teacher described how she had since suffered panic attacks, headaches and sleeplessness.

Miss Butler-Savage said the victim now felt her home had been "violated and tarnished".

Barrister Richard Butters, for Shepherd, asked Judge Robert Bartfield to consider suspending any prison sentence because of the circumstances surrounding the case.

He stressed that the blackmail had not been motivated by selfish reasons or greed and it had been a spontaneous incident without any pre-planning.

"She should not have done what she did. She was not thinking straight," he added.

The court heard that Doran had gone along to the house with her sister, but had not done very much when they got inside.

Judge Bartfield sentenced her to six months in jail, but suspended that prison term for a year.

Doran will also have to do 80 hours community service work.

Judge Bartfield accepted that there had been no pre-planning, but added: "You (Shepherd) pointed out to her that if she didn't pay up you would go to the newspapers or, worse than that, you told her you worked for the police and in that position you would initiate her arrest and prosecution so as to intimidate her.

"That, in my view, is quite unforgivable ... you abused you position to bring pressure on your victim."