A 24-year old in the United Kingdom has become the first woman to be convicted of revenge porn.
Paige Mitchell was today sentenced to six weeks imprisonment suspended for 18 months after pleading guilty to posting sexual photographs of her then girlfriend on Facebook.
At an earlier hearing Mitchell admitted attacking the victim during an argument. She then went on to post explicit photos of the woman on to her Facebook profile later that day. Mitchell also captioned the pictures with humiliating insults and even referenced the assault.
Mitchell is believed to be the first woman to be prosecuted for revenge pornography under England’s new legislation which makes it an offense to disclose private sexual photographs and films without the consent of the individual who appears in them and with the intent to cause that individual distress.
Commenting today, Joanna Coleman, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Thames and Chiltern said:
These vengeful crimes are predominantly thought of as being carried out by men. This sentencing will highlight that anyone can be guilty of this offense and regardless of the defendant’s gender, once reported, it will be taken seriously.
“Crimes where an intimate image of an individual is shared without their permission in such a public forum is invasive, humiliating and distressing for the victim and leaves them feeling violated.
“It can have a huge impact on the victim and I am pleased that more people are having the confidence to come forward and report these crimes.”
As reported by Business Insider