A former policewoman has been sentenced to 22 months in jail for attempting to blackmail Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard.

Helen Jones, who was a PC with Merseyside Police, attempted to use CCTV footage obtained from a bar to blackmail the former England captain, who had been involved in a row with other men at the premises.

At today's sentencing, the judge told the court: "This was deliberate and calculated misconduct in a public office.

"You deliberately created a false impression in the mind of the bank manager that you were investigating a criminal offence.

"In fact you were on a mission to obtain that matter so that you could put it either directly or through an intermediary, who would use it for his own ends, which were nothing whatsover to do with a criminal investigation."

A previous hearing clarified that Gerrard had been acting as a peacemaker during the brawl.