Revenge Porn is the practice of revealing private sexual videos or images with third parties without the consent of the person depicted in the video or image. In 2015, this was made a criminal offence. If found guilty of revenge porn, a person may be sentenced to up to two years imprisonment.
However, it is not yet a criminal offence to threaten a person with revenge porn. This does not consider the severe distress and anxiety caused to someone by being threatened with the distribution or publication of their private images.
In recent years, we have seen a large increase in the number of men and women who seek help for the same. In the year 2019-2020, calls to the Revenge Porn Helpline in respect of threats to disclose private images and videos rose from 296 to 513 calls, up by 73% on the previous year.
Refuge, an organisation which provides shelters to victims of domestic abuse, has confirmed that one in fourteen adults in England and Wales have been the victim of a threat of revenge porn. Refuge is campaigning for a change to S.33 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015, which would criminalise threats to share explicit images or videos.
Campaign groups and Peers in the House of Lords are calling for the Domestic Abuse Bill to include the criminalisation of threats of revenge porn. The matter has been debated in the House of Lords this week.
Baroness Morgan argued that “The police and everyone else need to know and be clear in their own minds that the making of threats is an offence and should be prosecuted, in the same way as the actual sharing of intimate images was made a crime by this government.”
The former Director of Public Prosecutions, Lord Macdonald, condemned the behaviour as “cruel” and called for women to be safeguarded from the same.
Nicole Jacobs, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales, stated that “There is a significant gap in the law that allows abusers to threaten to share intimate images as a way of controlling and frightening survivors both during relationships and following separation”.
However, if even if the amendment is enshrined into law, it will be necessary for the police to ensure that they enforce the new measure when they receive reports of threats.
The matter will be considered again in the House of Commons in the coming weeks.
This is a fast-evolving and complex area of law. Here at Farleys Solicitors, our experienced abuse claims team are highly skilled in protecting victims of psychological, physical and sexual abuse. Our team of experts are passionately dedicated to ensuring those at fault are held accountable for their actions. Pursuing a compensation claim can provide victims with funds to move forward with their life following such a traumatic ordeal.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of revenge porn or covert recording, you can discuss a potential claim with one of our experienced solicitors in the strictest confidence. Please telephone us on 0330 134 6430 or e-mail us at info@farleys.com.
