Man Jailed Over "Revenge Porn"
A Wirral man has become the first person on Merseyside to be jailed for posting sexually explicit images of his ex girlfriend on the internet. 53 year old David Jones from Mockbeggar Drive in Wallasey put the 20 year old photographs on social media claiming it was an attempt to rekindle their romance. The judge called it a "monstrous and devastating breach of trust" and sentenced him to three months in prison. He admitted five counts of the offence of disclosing private sexual photographs and films without consent and with the intention of causing distress.
Constable Amy Beaumont said: "Jones’ victim has shown an immense amount of bravery in coming forward and co-operating with police to ensure he was brought to justice. I hope his sentencing gives her some sense of closure and also provides wider reassurance that incidents of so-called ‘revenge porn’ will be investigated thoroughly and treated extremely seriously.
“Jones’ victim had moved on with her life since knowing him, so it came as a huge shock to find that these images had been shared on the internet some years after they were taken. While she consented to the taking of the images at the time, she clearly did not intend for them to be viewed by anyone else. It obviously caused her significant distress to find they had been put online to be viewed by anyone.
“Specially trained officers have been by her side throughout the investigation and court hearings to provide support.
"I'd also like to thank officers and our partners in the Crown Prosecution Service for their dedication and commitment throughout an investigation that has used recent legislation to ensure justice was done.
"I would like to take this opportunity to reassure and urge anyone who has been the victim of a ‘revenge porn’ offence that if you can find the courage to come forward and speak to us, we will deal with you sensitively and make sure that reports are properly and thoroughly investigated."
The victim, who does not want to be identified, said: "When I found that the images had resurfaced online after all that time, I felt physically sick and had a feeling of complete terror.
"The whole experience has totally shaken my trust in people and has left me feeling extremely anxious and depressed, and suffering from ill health. Professionally, it has potentially ruined my life.
"My advice to anyone considering posing for explicit photos would be don’t, no matter what."
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