Revenge porn – when someone feels hard done by or just wants to be a prick and so uploads to the internet images (photos or video) of someone else without their consent, usually with the intention of malice against the subject – is officially illegal in the UK. And it’s just seen its first conviction in 21-year-old Jason Asagba.
The Romford, Essex resident pleaded guilty to disclosing sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress. The case was described by Detective Constable Steven Rose of Thames Valley Police to be ‘an extremely distressing case for the victim’ – a 20-year-old woman from Reading.
He also told the BBC that the new law means, at the very least, Asagba will be punished – ‘With these new powers, anyone found committing these offences will be dealt with by the court.’
Asagba threatened to publish the intimate photos of the woman just three days after the new revenge porn law came into force. He then sent the images to her family and shared them on Facebook (cool guy, right?).
He was charged on 15 May (the law came into force on 13 April) and pleaded guilty the next day at Reading Magistrates’ Court. Now? He’s been bailed and will be sentenced on 7 August.
It’s yet to be seen just how tough the sentence will be. Though revenge porn is a sex crime and can have devastating effects on the victim, a Magistrates’ Court can only sentence someone to jail for a maximum of six months. But whatever sentence Asagba is given will set a serious precendent for other judges in revenge porn cases.
Meanwhile, DC Rose explained just how committed the police are to dealing with cases like these. ‘We believe that this is the first conviction of the new offence in the country, which highlights the fact that Thames Valley Police takes this crime extremely seriously and will investigate such reports,’ he says.
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Picture: Ada Hamza
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.