Charlene Carasco, 30, was jailed for 12 months

A woman who tricked her ex-boyfriend into paying her £2,500 by pretending she had been kidnapped by a sex fiend has been jailed.

Charlene Carasco, 30, repeatedly contacted her former partner on WhatsApp begging him to pay cash into her bank account to pay her 'ransom'.

Police were twice called out to investigate the kidnapping but on both occasions found Carasco safe and well.

Her lies were finally exposed when officers discovered the kidnapper, who she claimed was holding her hostage, did not exist.

On Wednesday Carasco was jailed for 12 months after admitting two counts of blackmail and one charge of fraud at Northampton Crown Court.

Judge Adrienne Lucking said the fact police treated the incident as an attempted kidnap was an 'aggravating feature'.

She told Carasco: 'Your contact with your ex-boyfriend triggered a large police enquiry and wasted police resources.'

The court heard Carasco had met her ex-boyfriend via an online dating site in 2011. They met on a weekly basis before splitting in August 2013 but remained friends.

In the summer of 2014 Carasco asked her ex-boyfriend for sums of £10 or £20 to help pay her bills.

In January 2015, Carasco then contacted him again on WhatsApp asking if he could transfer a large amount of money to her bank account.

Prosecutor Victoria Rose said: 'The defendant said she owed a lot of money to a gangster who was holding her against her will. She said she had been locked in a car and was being taken to a cash machine to check if the money was in her account.'

The ex-boyfriend transferred £700 to her account, followed by another £300.

The next day Carasco contacted him again and said she had been cut on her arm and claimed the gangster was doing 'horrible things' to her.

Ms Rose said Carasco told her ex-boyfriend the only way to stop her being assaulted was to transfer more money so he handed over another £300.

On Wednesday Carasco was jailed for 12 months after admitting two counts of blackmail and one charge of fraud at Northampton Crown Court (pictured)

The ex-boyfriend then contacted the police who found Carasco at her home in Northampton. She told officers she had no idea why he had reported a kidnapping.

Carasco then contacted her ex-boyfriend ten days later and told him her wallet and bank card had been taken by a man called Sean who had demanded £1,500 be paid before she was released.

Ms Rose said WhatsApp messages were sent to the man from Carasco's phone claiming to be from Sean.

She said: 'Carasco said Sean was threatening to physically hurt and sexually harm her and, if the money wasn't paid, would sell her to a man who would do disgusting things to her.'

The ex-boyfriend was told not to involve the police but to transfer over the money.

Ms Rose said he spoke to Carasco on the phone and she was 'crying saying "I'm okay please send over the money"'.

The ex-boyfriend then transferred over a further £300 before calling the police.

Northamptonshire Police deployed several officers to find Carasco and she was eventually found at a family address.

She was arrested and officers discovered all the messages to her ex-boyfriend had been sent by Carasco.

A victim statement, read to the court by the ex-boyfriend, stated he had lost £2,500 to Carasco.

Speaking after the case, Detective Inspector Louise Hemmingway said: 'It was a cruel offence. We spent a lot of time trying to find her.