Melbourne, Jan. 23: A marine worker who extorted 45,000 dollar from former cricketing great Craig McDermott by threatening to put sex tapes of him and his wife on the internet will spend at least 18 months behind bars.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Peter Josef Vigan, 38, pleaded guilty to eight charges of extortion in Southport District Court today over repeated threats he made to the former Australian fast bowler in 2006.

The court was told it was Vigan''s greed that was his undoing, having received amounts ranging from 5000 to 10,000 dollars from McDermott, who for eight months declined to involve the police.

Judge Julie Dick said Vigan had preyed on the embarrassment of the former cricketer and his family, sentencing Vigan to four-and-a-half years in prison.

He will be eligible for parole on July 22, 2010.

Crown prosecutor Nicholas McGhee told the court the crime was one of opportunity.

According to the paper, Vigan was handed the two videotapes from a friend in December 2003, who worked at the Gold Coast marina where Mr McDermott kept his boat.

The tapes contained "sexually explicit material", McGhee said.

Vigan began threatening McDermott in January 2006, calling him on the phone and telling him: "I have two tapes of you and your missus ... if you don''t bring me 5000 dollars, the tapes will be all over the internet. How would your missus and kids like to find out?"

Over eight months, the former cricketer turned millionaire property developer withdrew money and left the cash in specific places as demanded by Vigan by text message and telephone calls.

Each time, McDermott was told he would get the tapes back.

McDermott called the police in September 2006, after Vigan demanded 10,000 dollars as "final'''' payment.

Both tapes have since been recovered. McDermott was Australia''s leading fast bowler in the late `80s and early `90s. (ANI)