A Cape Coast-based television station, Coastal TV, has said Emmanuel Orlando Matrevi, a journalist who was arrested for gathering pictures of naked women and using them to blackmail the women involved is not an employee of the station.

In a statement, Coastal TV said: “With reference to the story that was published about a journalist in Cape Coast blackmailing girls with his collection of nude pictures, we wish to categorically state that the said journalist was never an employee of Coastal TV.”

According to the management of Coastal TV, Mr Matrevi was a volunteer who wanted to gain experience in studio work and was sacked before his six months’ volunteer period elapsed.

The station has called on media houses to crosscheck their facts before they put out any news available to them.

“We congratulate the media houses who crosschecked and have put out what is accurate. To the others who have not done so and are only excited to bring Coastal TV to disrepute by hook or crook by insisting Orlando is a staff of Coastal TV, we will explore avenues at our disposal to redeem our enviable image as the first and only community television station in West Africa working to promote the image of the Central Region to the rest of the world.”

The 37-year-old lied to his victims that he was living abroad and was looking for a serious person to be in a relationship with, hence the ladies should send their nude pictures to him.

After succeeding in getting the nude pictures, he would then arrange with the ladies to meet at a hotel because he was in town. Some of the ladies gave in to his demands whereas others refused.

He threatened to publish the naked pictures of those who denied him sex. One of the ladies who fell victim to the journalist became fed up with his repeated demands for sex and reported the matter to the police, leading to his arrest.

Meanwhile the accused has denied circulating the nude pictures.