“ONE by one the horses’ throats will be slit. The clock is ticking.”

That was the chilling message from blackmailer Kirsty Geoghegan in her bid to get £5,000 from a group of devoted horse owners.

Yesterday the five friends she terrified with her menacing words told of their relief she was behind bars after resorting to a round-the-clock sentry to make sure their horses were safe from harm.

Geoghegan began a 15-month jail sentence on Friday for her threats to mutilate and kill the animals after admitting blackmail.

The 25-year-old sent the messages in January last year after the owners of Buddies Yard in Shoreham found the manes and tails cut off five of the horses kept there.

She had kept a horse at the yard before leaving after an argument about costs with the owner Lisa Lee.

Mrs Lee, 43, of Lancing, said: “I am gobsmacked she was sent to jail – we didn’t expect such a strong sentence but we are relieved. I don’t think we will ever know or understand how she could be so cruel. We taught her how to ride, I loaned and then sold her a pony.”

The ordeal saw Mrs Lee’s marriage temporarily breakdown when the messages accused her of an affair. They left others who kept their horses at the Steyning Road stable under the Shoreham Flyover petrified they would find their pets had been killed and later devastated to learn who was responsible.

They launched an online appeal offering a reward for information and reported the attack to the police. On the same day horse owner Claudine Culverwell received a Facebook friend request from a page called Shoreham Flyover.

She accepted in the hope it was someone keen to help her track down the culprit, only to receive threatening blackmail messages demanding £5,000 to save the horses from further harm.

Unable to pay, the frightened group were so convinced by the messages they guarded the yard through the night and police set up a CCTV camera outside. The threats were later traced back to Geoghegan’s computer IP address by officers and she was arrested.

Police were unable to prove Geoghegan had been behind the initial attack. Judge Christopher Parker, sitting at Chichester Crown Court, said she had been motivated by “spite and greed”.

Geoghegan, who initially denied the blackmail, sobbed as she was handed her sentence which includes a year-long supervision on her release from prison.

I’M RELIEVED THIS IS ALL OVER – I FEEL BETRAYED

ASTRA is Holly Whibley’s pride and joy.

She has owned her ever since the friendly and loving white horse was eight months old. That was nine years ago and they have been inseparable ever since.

She adored her pet so much she could not wait to introduce her new friend Kirsty Geoghegan. The pair met at work in The Schooner pub in Southwick.

Realising Geoghegan knew nothing of the equestrian world she was keen to show her why she loved it so much.

She soon joined Buddies Yard in Shoreham, owned by Lisa and Phil Lee, where she and her mother Stephanie stabled horses alongside another friend Claudine Culverwell.

“She had a car so she started driving me to the yard after work and was really interested. She started coming out more and more. We all helped teach her to ride. She loaned a pony from Lisa before buying and keeping her there.”

But she left the yard suddenly after arguing with Mrs Lee over costs. By all accounts they all parted on amicable terms, even sending messages to them all after to thank them for their friendship and help. No one could have predicted what happened next.

The group arrived at the yard in January last year to find huge chunks cut from the tails and manes of their five horses, Molly, Zara, Onyx, Frodo and Astra.

“When I saw what happened I just kept running out of the field. It was awful. Her mane is part of her personality and it was so beautiful. Astra is my best friend and like a family member so I was in shock and kept having panic attacks for a long time afterwards,” Miss Whibley, 23, of Hastings said.

These became worse when the blackmail began. The group launched an online appeal with a reward for information, receiving “huge support” from neighbours who would stop by to donate money to the fund.

But then the frightening Facebook messages appeared, demanding £5,000 if they wanted to save their horses from mutilation and death and blaming Mrs Lee for having a “sordid” affair.

Mrs Culverwell screamed as she sat in her front room reading them. She called the police and officers were present as another came through.

The group of friends went into panic mode, launching round-the-clock guard of the yard to protect their beloved horses, causing exhaustion and huge distress. Police also stationed a CCTV camera outside.

Miss Whibley said she was “devastated” to discover Geoghegan was behind the vicious plot.

She said: “Astra is my best friend. She is a family member. The whole thing was awful. Kirsty actually rang me to see if I was OK on the same day she sent the messages. I couldn’t believe it.

“I will never understand why she did it. The Kirsty I know wouldn’t do something like this.

“To think we taught her how to ride, we introduced her to horses and helped her.

“I feel completely betrayed. But I am also relieved this is all over now. I just wanted it all to end so we could move on.”

Her mother Stephanie, 49, of Shoreham, said: “Holly always sees the good in people.

“We were all devastated because we had welcomed Kirsty into our lives. We will never understand how she could do this, especially to her friend. No one who loves horses would do this – they were affected by it.”

Mrs Lee, 43, of Lancing, said: “On top of worrying about the horses, accusing me of having an affair in the blackmail messages took a huge strain on my marriage and our four children.

“Phil and I split up for a while. I was questioned by my friends and family. It became part of the investigation so I had to prove I was telling the truth to the police.

“I am so relieved it is all over but we will never understand why she did it, she didn’t even seem to know.

“We think revenge but we don’t know for what. We just want to get on with our lives now.

“But this shows that the police take things like this seriously and people who are cruel to horses or try to use blackmail will be prosecuted.”

Mrs Culverwell, 46, of Lancing, said: “The whole ordeal was absolutely horrific.

“I was hurt and angry because we had helped her.

“We were very surprised she was sent to jail as we had been told to expect a suspended sentence.

FEAR SPREAD BY MENACING ONLINE POSTS

HORSE owners were so convinced by the blackmail messages they guarded Buddies Yard round the clock for three weeks because they were petrified the threats would become a reality.

When five horses – Molly, Zara, Frodo, Onyx and Astra – had their tails and manes cut off at the field in Shoreham their owners, Lisa Lee, Claudine Culverwell, Stephanie and Holly Whibley, launched an appeal for information with a reward.

Mrs Culverwell accepted a Facebook friend request from a page called Shoreham Flyover thinking it was someone offering to help with the campaign. But instead she was sent the messages pictured and another which read: “I’ve given you lot more than one chance to save your precious horses. I have eyes and ears everywhere. I’m watching, I’ve always been watching. The machete has been sharpened and poised for tonight. This is your final chance. Leave the £5,000 under the caravan by midnight or one by one the horses will be slaughtered.”

It went on to blame yard owner Mrs Lee for the blackmail because she continued a “sordid affair”. Mrs Culverwell called the police, who were present when a third message was sent. Mrs Lee and husband Phil kept watch 24 hours a day after that for three weeks, sleeping in shifts in a caravan supported by the others. Police put a CCTV camera outside the yard.

Miss Whibley, 23, of Hastings, said the exhaustion and distress brought on by keeping watch was unbearable. She said: “Knowing our horses, our babies, had already been attacked, and receiving the messages, how could we not think it was real? We were startled by every rustle in the bushes, every car that went past. We took it in turns to keep watch and patrol the field.”