A bride’s honeymoon was ruined when she received a Facebook message from a former partner blackmailing her.

Tic Tac-sucking Anthony Irons – described by his own lawyer as “spiteful and cowardly” – demanded cash or he would reveal their previous relationship.

The victim, who can’t be named for legal reasons, was so frightened she would face lies that she agreed to pay up.

Irons, who suffers from Asperger Syndrome, asked for £400, then £700 and finally £1,050, Canterbury Crown Court heard.

"I see you got married. Congratulations. It would be crazy if your husband knew what went on between us. Give me some money and you will never hear from me again” - Irons' message

Now the 28-year-old, of Worcester Road, Maidstone has been jailed for two years after admitting blackmail.

Prosecutor Andrew Espley told the court: “The victim got married and was on her honeymoon when she received a message on Facebook from the defendant.”

She ignored the message, but two days later received a further one which read: “Hope you are not ignoring me. I see you got married. Congratulations. It would be crazy if your husband knew what went on between us. Give me some money and you will never hear from me again.”

Mr Espley said the victim feared he would make up lies about her to her husband and agreed to pay the demand if that meant he would leave her alone.

The prosecutor added: “She checked her Facebook a couple of days later and saw another message saying that now he wanted £700 and then a further message demanding around £1,000.

“Irons instructed her to delete the Facebook messages and not tell her husband or he would make her life hell.”

It was only when a friend heard about the blackmail and told the victim’s father that he alerted police.

As the defendant wept bitterly in the dock, his lawyer Simon Taylor told how Irons sucked Tic Tacs all the time and had lost his front two teeth.

Mr Taylor added that Irons’ condition had contributed to him committing the offence and prison would be a huge punishment on someone so vulnerable.