Three of six people convicted of blackmailing an ex-official with a sex tape in a first trial appeared in Chongqing Intermediate People's Court on Thursday to appeal their prison sentences.

The six arranged for a young woman to secretly record her romantic encounters with Lei Zhengfu, the former Party chief of Beibei district, and threatened to publicize the video unless Lei paid 3 million yuan ($490,000) in February 2008.

On June 28, they received sentences ranging from 18 months to 10 years in prison.