Two charged with blackmailing former F1 boss have case dropped

Two people charged with attempting to blackmail a former Formula 1 boss have had their case discontinued at Reading Crown Court.

Ryan Hilton, 42, of Maidenhead in Berkshire, and Sarah Westbury, 31, of Slough were due to appear on Tuesday having recently been charged at East Berkshire Magistrates Court in March with an attempt to extort money from a former team boss.

However, on Tuesday morning, with RacingNews365 present in court, the case was discontinued without either Hilton or Westbury, who also goes by the surname Surita, present.

Pleas were not entered by either defendant, with Hilton being charged with two counts of fraud by false representation and stalking after a series of social media posts.

Westbury was charged with one count of fraud by false representation.

It is unclear why the case was discontinued at such late notice on Tuesday morning, with Judge Amjad Nawaz then proceeding to work through other cases.

RacingNews365 has reached out to the Crown Prosecution Service, with a request for further information about the reasoning for the discontinuation.
 

RacingNews365 also believes it is aware of the identity of the F1 figure involved, but cannot identity them.