Sex therapist Darren Cooper jailed for blackmailing tech CEO

Darren Cooper, a fifty-four-year-old sex therapist's husband, has been found guilty of blackmailing a technology chief executive and stalking his daughter, who works as a Chanel model. The criminal charges stem from a bitter legal dispute regarding a property valued at £1.2 million in London. This home was co-owned by Cooper's partner, Thain Kleinhentz, and Kleinhentz's former partner, Mark Harrison. A fierce battle over ownership erupted in 2020 after the couple separated.

Cooper launched a campaign to demand money for his husband following the High Court decision against them. He falsely accused Peter Gillingwater, the New Zealand businessman, of drug dealing and sexual abuse. These allegations were published on a blog styled like a newspaper. The target also included Aimee Gillingwater, the twenty-eight-year-old model and skater. Her professional opportunities with Chanel reportedly suffered as a result of these false claims.

Prosecutor Jonathan Whitley explained that Cooper demanded payments to remove his abusive posts from social media platforms X and LinkedIn. Initial requests asked for £80,000, but the sums quickly rose to £100,000 and finally £250,000. This vengeful behavior followed a civil trial where Kleinhentz lost his claim for a share of the house in Barons Court. The property sold for £1.2 million in 2015 before the dispute began. Kleinhentz subsequently declared bankruptcy and faced an order to pay legal costs.

The court heard that Cooper believed he should have won the civil case against Mark Harrison. He blamed Gillingwater entirely for their financial loss and subsequent defeat. This mindset drove him to target the family directly. Aimee was described as a significant target because of her career in fashion. Her father testified that his family contacted authorities after receiving an email referencing a gang bang involving his daughter.

Cooper appeared in court wearing a blue suit before being granted bail ahead of sentencing on December 4. His defense lawyer, Colin Whitshaw, asked for time to prepare reports regarding the defendant's mental state. A restraining order was issued immediately, banning Cooper from contacting Peter, Aimee, and Carol Gillingwater, as well as Mark Harrison. The order also forbids him from posting anything about them online.

The Inner London Crown Court heard that the family attended Monday's hearing to address these serious offenses. Cooper denied the charges during the trial but was convicted of attempting blackmail between January 14 and July 19, 2023. He was also found guilty of stalking both father and daughter from January 1, 2021, through July 19, 2023. The jury accepted that his actions were unjustified attempts to manipulate a civil outcome into criminal leverage.

We felt compelled to take immediate action regarding these hundreds of emails and documents because the language used was unacceptable," Mr Gillingwater stated during his testimony. He recounted receiving a direct phone call that targeted his daughter's upcoming performance, identifying the caller as Darren who explicitly threatened to destroy her career again. This specific threat aimed at her gig caused genuine fear for her safety and professional future.

Earlier demands had already appeared, including one asking for £100,000 to remove content from a blog hosted on Cooper's site. This request was just one of three separate payment demands issued for different amounts by the same source. The defense team argued these were attempts to see if the family would pay to make the damaging content disappear, but they refused to respond because they believed the accuser was becoming desperate rather than offering a legitimate grievance.

Another email from Cooper warned he would take allegations to the national press unless satisfied with his demands. While the campaign did result in the CEO leaving a board for a large blue chip company and distancing himself from a charity where he served as a mentor, the personal cost remained high. Mr Gillingwater told the trial that he worried deeply about having his reputation ruined by these false allegations before they were proven.

The blog posts described him with headlines labeling him a 'Paedo' while adding claims that he lied in court regarding previous sexual abuse accusations. The writer also published stories about 'lies exposed' involving drug dealing, addiction, child pornography, cocaine supply, and making false accusations against others. Prosecutor Mr Whitley explained that these posts were sent to the family and others, including board members of the man's company specifically to denigrate his reputation and harm the rest of his family.

Cooper also sent messages directly to the business leader's model daughter using vile language about her father raping her. He further threatened to damage her career by claiming she was involved in child pornography available on the dark web. Mr Whitley noted that this campaign caused serious distress to the entire family, and the daughter stated she has lost modelling work and been unable to post on social media since these events unfolded.

Both Cooper and Mr Kleinhentz were arrested, though police charged only the defendant who admitted in a statement to creating the blogs and emailing the family with these threats. Cooper told officers that he and his husband were victims of slurs and claimed he was simply trying to shine a light on abuse while complaining his husband did not receive justice at the High Court. The couple are believed to no longer be together as tensions rose over the legal proceedings. Cooper has been bailed until November 27 while awaiting his next court appearance.