estoppel passing on from grandad

kitty4ever wrote: »

Play a game of poker, claim you have clandestine recordings without ever showing your full, or part of your hand [recordings].
agree to reveal clandestine recordings only after a full and final out of court settlement; then you don't.

So let's try that out. You communicate with someone and say "I have a recording of you saying things that will be damaging to your civil case, give me money and sign a non-disclosure agreement or I will reveal the recordings". The person with whom you are communicating records this discussion (sauce for the goose, etc) or, indeed, doesn't, but in either event goes to the police and makes a complaint of blackmail against you, escalating a civil case into a criminal one. Your move.

kitty4ever wrote: »

how are recordings of third party deceased people blackmail? Mutual consent could have been given to record.

The blackmail comes from the threat, not the recordings themselves. Theft Act 1968, S.21.