The 70-year-old man accused of blackmailing the De Mol showbiz family sobbed his apology in court on Tuesday.

Dirk M began sending letters to television magnate John de Mol last October demanding large sums of money. He threatened to harm his sister Linda and her family if De Mol refused to pay up.

He was arrested in early December and a dna sample was found to match dna on one of the letters.

‘I am so sorry for the De Mol family and for my own family,’ M told the court. ‘I wish I could take it all back.’

He is being held in custody and the court ruled he should stay in prison awaiting trial despite the deterioration in his physical and mental condition. His lawyer had asked for bail but the court said the interests of society weighed more heavily than M’s personal interest.

The case came to a head when a television crime show broadcast a drawing of an elderly man with glasses who had ordered cakes to be delivered to John de Mol’s home.

M will return to court on May 19 when bail will again be considered. The trial is due to begin on June 18.