Wayne Rooney ‘blackmailed’ over hotel photos as Instagram message leaks online

Wayne Rooney was photographed asleep in a hotel bedroom this weekend, with the images quickly going viral.

The photos show a fully clothed Rooney passed out in a chair after a night out in Manchester, after he went to the hotel with three women.

And today it’s been reported that the former Manchester United captain was asked for £10,000 to keep the photos hidden from his wife Coleen.

According to reports, the police launched a blackmail probe over a message sent to Rooney on Instagram that included a photo from the hotel and the comment: “Morning Wayne 10 grand please mate or Coleen sees this.”

Станислав Ведмидь / Wikimedia

However, according to officers they have now dropped the investigation after concluding that no offence had been committed.

A Cheshire Police spokesman said: “On Monday July 26th Cheshire Constabulary received reports of a possible blackmail relating to a number of images circulating online.

“Officers have spoken to the person involved and are satisfied that no offences have taken place.

“The person involved has also stated that they do not wish to take the matter any further.”

It’s not been suggested that the women from the photos, Tayler Ryan, Elise Melvin and Brooke Morgan, all aged 21, were knowingly involved in any criminal activity.

Rooney met the women at the newly reopened China White nightclub on Saturday night before heading back to their hotel.

As the Derby County manager appeared to fall asleep, several photos were taken, with one featuring a woman bending over beside him in her underwear with the caption ‘Mooney Rooney’, while another was captioned ‘Sleepy Wayne’.

As the photos went viral on social media, Rooney’s legal team contacted Greater Manchester Police, before the case was passed to Cheshire Police.