Love triangle cleaner found guilty of blackmailing judge

Roselane Driza denied two counts of blackmail and one of theft.

A Brazilian cleaner faces jail and deportation after she was convicted at the Old Bailey today of blackmailing a female immigration judge who employed her.

Roselane Driza was also found guilty of stealing two sexy videos from a male judge – known only as I.

But she was cleared of blackmailing Judge I.

See also…
• Sex, lies and videotape

For more than a week, the court heard of Roselane Driza’s dealings with the judges, who apparently did not know she was working in Britain illegally.

The judges – known only by the initials J and I -were themselves lovers for a time. But their relationship ended although they remained friends.

After Judge J sacked her, Driza started an affair with Judge I and moved in with him.

Later, she allegedly discovered a raunchy video in his possession of both J and I together – showing J apparently snorting cocaine.

The Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice are considering whether to hold a disciplinary investigation into the conduct of the two judges involved, a spokesman for the Department for Constitutional Affairs said after the verdict.

Driza, 37, was accused of blackmailing both judges and stealing the video together with another cassette, allegedly showing I with a blonde. She denied the charges.

Driza made an assortment of allegations against the judges during her two days of evidence.

She told the court she feared she might be assassinated. J had been abusive to her, she said.

"She was always calling me names. and she was always aggressive to me. I ended up thinking she could pay someone to kill me."

Driza said she later asked for "compensation" for the way she had been treated, claiming: "Racism and discrimination. My distress and the calling of names and the bad words. All the damage – psychological. There is no money that could pay."

When she rang J to ask why she was sacked, she said the judge started shouting. "She had lost control. She shouted ‘F****** Brazilian bitch. F****** dirty woman’ and switched off."

She told the court that Judge I had urged her to leave the country after she was arrested.

"I said I could not help him by running away to help him out of a mess."

She also said I had asked her to do porno movies with him.

But the prosecution alleged that after their relationship cooled, she stole the intimate videos of him and blackmailed him.

The cleaner also tried to blackmail Judge J. She threatened to expose both judges to their "boss", the Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer, unless she was paid £20,000 by J.

"She saw an opportunity to make money by threatening two people who were in sensitive positions – threatening them about their private lives," said David Markham, prosecuting.

He told the court that I had made a fool of himself over her. He had sent her an email describing her as "chilli hot stuff".

"It needs little emphasis that blackmail develops and thrives where there is human vulnerability and weakness, It does not flourish among angels and saints," Mr Markham told jurors.

"It takes root where flesh and blood people – including judges – decidedly fall from grace and err.

"This allegation is not an appeal for sympathy for J and I. Each of them, you may think, got themselves into the very uncomfortable situations with the defendant.

"Each, with more care, might have avoided more lurid scenarios… each of them became prey to blackmail."

Mr Markham said that Driza had to find ways of applying pressure on Judge J.

Driza retorted in court: "If there was pressure, it was on me. I am here in this court. I am not British. I have nothing to answer for. The world may think I am guilty. I have nothing to hide and God knows I am not guilty."

Driza said she intended to give back the videos she stole on the day before she was arrested and had wanted an explanation rather than money from J on why she had been sacked.