Sir Lenny Henry’s daughter has been given a suspended prison sentence after setting up a fake email pretending to be her father.
Billie Roman Henry used her family connections in a "threatening" and "manipulative" way to avoid being dumped by boyfriend Samuel King, a court heard.
Billie, 28 – who was adopted by Lenny and Dawn French when she was a few weeks old – used the fake account to send messages offering money to save King’s business and to stop him from being evicted.
Truro Crown Court heard that the message was part of a sustained campaign of harassment, and Judge Simon Carr sentenced her to an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for a year.
Billie was also given a five-year restraining order – which will stop her from contacting her ex-boyfriend – for the offences, which took place over five months between 2018 and 2019.
Judge Carr told her: "You were in a relationship with Samuel King and you found forming relationships difficult.
"When the relationship ended you found it difficult to accept and set up a number of false emails. You sent a barrage of messages, most manipulative and some threatening.
"Your primary motivation was to try and continue the relationship and the messages were very substantial in number and went on for five months.
"It had a significant psychological and financial effect on him.
"You had an at times unique childhood, which must have been very challenging. You never sought any publicity but publicity follows you for reasons beyond your control.
"I hope you receive the help you need and the support to assist you."
The court heard that Billie’s "suffocating" behaviour – which included issues with him seeing his son from a past relationship – became too much for King.
Simon Farmer, prosecuting, told the court how "a complex series of highly manipulative false messages" followed, including falsely claiming her father had been abusive.
He added: "The messages caused distress and anxiety and were intended to provoke extreme sympathy.
"Billie Henry falsely pretended to be he father saying he would help Samuel King out of debt by paying him large amounts of money.
"She also claimed to Mr King that her father had assaulted her and made threats to Mr King too."
Sir Lenny Henry’s daughter given suspended sentence for harassing ex-boyfriend
