Sending revenge porn could lead to 14 years in jail, Crown Prosecution Service suggest
Revenge porn should be prosecuted under the Sexual Offences Act rather than obscenity laws, carrying a maximum penalty of 14 years, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has suggested in new guidelines.
The CPS suggested this due to the basis of the menace and humiliation intended by the perpetrators.
Revenge porn sees sexually explicit pictures of an ex-partner - normally taken with their permission during the relationship – posted online without the consent of the partner. Some cases see this images posted with the personal details of the victim, including name, links to social media profiles and address, in order to shame.
Over the past years, a variety of websites playing host to such pictures have also emerged.
A CPS spokesperson stated: “No one should have to suffer the hurt and humiliation of ‘revenge pornography’ – a nasty and invasive crime that appears, anecdotally at least, to have increased as social media use has gone up.
“The CPS prosecutes these cases using a range of current laws, and we have now clarified our legal guidance to set out clearly how these cases should be brought to court.
“Due to the very personal nature of ‘revenge pornography’, prosecutors are being asked specifically to consider the impact on the victims involved.
“The new guidance also makes clear that the context of each case needs to be considered alongside current guidelines to ensure that the most appropriate legislation is used when prosecuting. The public, and indeed those intent on attacking former partners in this way, can now see clearly that this is a crime that can and will be prosecuted.”
It was announced earlier this year that government ministers would discuss tougher sanctions against those distributing such pictures.