A blackmailer who demanded £3 million from a Birmingham supermarket in a blackmail plot inspired by a character in a Clint Eastwood film has been jailed for 15 months.

Mark Hazel, aged 39, sent a ransom letter to a Co-op store in Erdington, threatening to kill staff if his demand was not met.

The letter was signed Scorpio – the name used by a serial killer in the 1971 film Dirty Harry.

Birmingham Crown Court heard yesterday that Hazel, of Deakin Road, Erdington, sent the hand-written blackmail letter on July 17 last year.

It read: “It will be my greatest pleasure to select at random three people in your store to kill and maim if my demands are not met. I will kill anyone in this store, whether it is staff or guards if my demands are not met.”

The court heard that Deakin told the store to place an advert in a local paper saying if it would meet his demands by July 22. In response to the threats, extra security measures were put in place at the store, and the police were called.

The Co-op started an investigation alongside police of all ex-employees to consider if there were any grudge bearers but Hazel had never worked at the store, the court was told.

Mr Alistair Redford, prosecuting, called the plot “amateurish” after Hazel’s thumbprint was found on the letter following an analysis by police eight months later. His handwriting also matched the writing in the letter. He initially denied the offence when interviewed but pleaded guilty in court at an earlier hearing.

The court heard that Hazel, who was unemployed when he sent the letter but now works as a canvasser for a double glazing firm, was in £35,000 worth of debt.

Mr Christopher Morris, defending, said it was a “ridiculous” and singularly “inept” demand as a result of a debt that he was “overwhelmed by” and Hazel was confused by reality and fantasy.

He said: “He was in grave debt at that stage. He is trying to deal with severe financial difficulties he faces. He may declare himself bankrupt to avoid legal action.”

Sentencing Hazel, Judge Mr Recorder Mark Hill QC, said: “In my mind, the threat to kill and maim staff and innocent shoppers is aggravating itself. In my opinion, it was all too real to those who received the letter and perceived themselves to be at risk.”