A SLOUGH woman has avoided prison after attempting to blackmail an England international rugby player.

Violet Smith, 29, who lives in Bath Road, became embroiled in a dispute between her work colleague and 29-year-old Wasps and England rugby player Danny Cipriani in 2015.

Smith was working as a stripper at the Junction 9 gentlemen’s club in St Albans when Cipriani got her friend and colleague Lisa Murphy, 38, of Montgomery Way, Wootton, pregnant.

Murphy had an abortion in the summer of 2015 following a relationship with the rugby player - who was playing for Sale Sharks at the time. However, complications in the aftermath of the procedure meant she missed work.

Murphy asked the rugby player for compensation, and despite previously offering her money for the termination, he did not pay.

At that stage, Murphy enlisted the help of her colleague Smith and they threatened to go to the papers with the story, making the threats through Whatsapp messages, the court heard.

Cipriani reported the attempted extortion to the Metropolitan Police in November 2015.

Smith and Murphy pleaded guilty to blackmail at Kingston Crown Court on Monday.

The pair were then sentenced to 22 months’ imprisonment suspended for two years on Tuesday.

The investigation into the blackmail was lead by the Community Safety Unit in Merton Borough, south-west London.

Detective Sergeant Kate Blackburn, from Merton police, said: “I would like to thank the victim for his courage in reporting the blackmail attempt to police and for his assistance during the investigation.”

Danny Cipriani’s agent, Oliver Ward, said the Wasps fly-half “would not be commenting” on the sentencing.

Cipriani has divided critics and fans alike in English rugby, despite his popularity. The last two years of his career have seen something of a revival. However, he was convicted of drink driving in June 2016 after crashing his car in to a taxi in London.