Flyhalf Danny Cipriani was allegedly blackmailed for £15,000 by two women, who threatened to divulge his relationship with one of them if he didn't pay the ransom amount.

Lisa Murphy (39) and Violet Smith (29) both admitted in court that they blackmailed the England and Wasps playmaker between September and October 2015 after he had failed to support Murphy, who was unable to work after she aborted Cipriani's child.

The rugby star and Murphy were in a casual relationship from early 2015 and in July of that year she revealed she was expecting his child. The on-again/off-again couple agreed not to keep the baby and while Cipriani offered to pay for the abortion procedure, Murphy told him 'it's free and on NHS'.

But when she asked him for maintenance money because she had not been able to work for five weeks after the procedure, Cipriani refused. Murphy then recruited her friend Smith to help threaten the player.

The pair demanded money from Cipriani and his publicist on several occasions for 'loss of earnings, loss of the baby and trauma to her mind and body'.

Cipriani agreed to pay her in the end, but when he found out the pair had also negotiated an exclusive story with The Sun newspaper, he went to the police.

Murphy and Smith were both released on bail, but will be sentenced on Wednesday.

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