A man seeking sexual pleasure got more than he bargained for when a prostitute and her pimp extorted almost €2,500 from him claiming that the condom had burst and that an abortion was required.

Pauline Pisani, 30, and Stephen Mifsud, 43, were each jailed for three years after Magistrate Marseann Farrugia found them guilty of extortion in September 2007.

The court heard how the client, whose name cannot be published by court order, had approached her while she was loitering in Marsa on August 30, 2007. He wanted oral sex but she insisted on sexual intercourse and even provided the condom.

When they were done, Ms Pisani, who told the man her name was Roberta and that she was 17 years old, claimed that the condom was torn during intercourse and that she was going to get pregnant.

They threatened to burn his car and his house

She demanded €1,200 for an abortion. Mr Mifsud appeared with a large stone in his hand, introduced himself as Roberta’s husband, and that they wanted money.

The client had €430 in his wallet but they wanted more so they took him to a nearby ATM and he withdrew another €250.

A week later, Ms Pisani waited for the man outside the factory where he worked and told him she needed more money for the abortion and he gave her the €260. She demanded more and threatened to call her husband so he took her to his house and gave her another €600.

Later that evening, she called him on his mobile phone and demanded another €600. In the background the man heard a male voice warning him they would burn down his car and his house if he dared to be “funny”. He agreed to meet and gave them the €600 they requested.

When he went home, he told his parents what had happened. The following day he received another call from Ms Pisani saying she had a bladder infection and demanded another €350. The man’s father grabbed the phone and told the woman that he agreed to pay as long as it was the last payment. They met and the money was handed over.

They noticed that the prostitute had tattoos so they filed a police report with the woman’s description. The police showed the man a set of photographs and he identified the two accused.

Initially in court, the client did not recognise her saying she had gained a lot of weight.

Magistrate Farrugia found Mr Mifsud guilty of extortion, living off the earnings of prostitution and relapsing and jailed him for three years after noting how he had 24 previous convictions, including two for extortion.

Ms Pisani’s criminal record was more voluminous, containing no less than 34 convictions, including two for extortion.

The magistrate remarked Mr Mifsud and Ms Pisani were “a threat to society” and were both relapsers.

They were jailed for three years each and ordered to repay the extortion victim almost €2,500. Mr Mifsud was fined a further €750 for breaching a probation order.

Police inspector Louise Calleja prosecuted while lawyer Malcolm Mifsud appeared for the accused who have filed an appeal.