A corrupt policewoman who seized CCTV of a street fight in an attempt to blackmail footballer Steven Gerrard was jailed for 22 months today . Helen Jones , 32 , a former Pc with Merseyside Police , took the footage by 'flashing her warrant card ' to the manageress of a bank which was intended to be used to extort money from the Liverpool star . The film showed friends of Gerrard , the then-England captain , involved in a bar brawl near his home in Formby , Merseyside , which spilled out on to the street . Jailed : Former WPC Helen Jones ( pictured above ) , 32 , was imprisoned for for 22 months today after seizing CCTV in the hope she could blackmail Steven Gerrard . Local businessman Paul Lloyd , 35 , claimed the midfielder 'threw the first punch ' but , at an earlier hearing , prosecutors said the Liverpool midfielder was acting as a peacemaker on the evening of August 4 2013 . Jailing her today Judge Baker told the defendant : '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 . ' Judge Baker said while Jones may not have known who , eventually , the CCTV would be passed to or for what purpose , it had caused Liverpool 's Gerrard and his friend Lee McPartland 'serious personal embarrassment ' , and damaged the reputation of Merseyside Police . Plot : PC Jones planned to use the CCTV to extort money from Mr Gerrard , pictured with his wife Alex , who was filmed acting as a peacemaker when friends got involved in a bar brawl . Jones made no reaction as she was jailed , though she had wept earlier when her lawyer recounted some of the 'trauma ' she had faced while on duty as a police officer . Jones , formerly of Formby , now living in Chatham , Kent , did not deny improperly using her status as a police officer to get the CCTV and admitted misconduct in a public office but claimed she was doing a favour for a friend . But during a three day hearing , known as a trial of issue last November , Judge Stuart Baker said he found her account 'wholly implausible ' , ruling Jones acted for 'base motives ' and described her as a 'practised and persistent liar ' . He said the CCTV was secured to use it 'possibly as a lever to cause Mr Gerrard to pay money to suppress it or , at the very least , to use it in a way which would potentially cause embarrassment , as has in fact occurred ' . Jones , who joined the police in 2005 , was off-duty and on a career break when she went to the Lloyds branch in Formby and took the footage , which the prosecution claimed was for 'criminal purposes ' . Earlier the court heard Jones got her hands on the CCTV to allow Mr Lloyd or another person , to use it as a 'lever ' to cause Steven Gerrard to pay money to suppress it or use it in a way to cause him potential embarrassment . Crime scene : The Merseyside Police officer took the footage by 'flashing her warrant card ' to the manageress of this Formby bank . Mr Lloyd claimed Gerrard and his friends assaulted him , and following the incident the footballer and his friend Mr McPartland , faced 'demands and threats ' amid an atmosphere of 'unpleasantness ' and 'menace ' with claims of money being offered by the press for the footage . Gerrard was later named in legal papers lodged by Mr Lloyd at the High Court claiming damages following the disturbance . The civil case named Gerrard , his wife , Alex , and Mr McPartland , as defendants . But Richard Howarth , prosecuting , said Mr Lloyd , who gave evidence at the earlier hearing , was 'an untruthful witness who sought to exploit his involvement in this incident and he maintained his deceit in the witness box ' . The prosecutor added : 'There is still no extant proceedings in the High Court , which given his performance in the witness box , is hardly surprising . ' Mr Howarth said the actual CCTV , which has never been made public , was a 'side issue ' in Jones ' admitted offence of misconduct . Gerrard 's lawyers and Liverpool FC became involved and police called in with their investigation leading to Jones 's arrest and her resignation from the police . Roderick Jones , mitigating for Jones , said : 'We are dealing with a single event in which a serving police officer on a career break took a decision to essentially , catastrophically bend the rules to breaking point and in doing so , broke them . 'This is a shameful and criminal aberration . '
Helen Steven Gerrard , 33 , used her warrant card to get footage from a nearby bank . WPC took CCTV on behalf of potential blackmailers of Jones . Film showed street brawl involving friends of then England captain . But court heard that Mr Gerrard was 'acting as the peacemaker ' in fight . Steven Gerrard ' defence team argued that she was unaware of any criminal purpose . But judge rejected the claims and jailed her for 22 months today .