Revenge porn Facebook user fined over explicit picture of ex-lover

Alex Till has been handed a community order and fine after falling foul of the laws brought in earlier this year.

The 25-year-old, from Kidderminster, had left his victim 'stressed and depressed' and struggling to sleep after posting the intimate image as his Facebook profile picture.

In a victim impact statement read out to Kidderminster Magistrates Court she said: "Until recently I was scared to leave home in case I saw anyone because I was so embarrassed.

"I've only just started to meet up with my friends again since the incident."

She said the embarrassment caused had also affected her work life and her family.

Prosecutor Mark Johnson said Till, of Manor Close, posted the image earlier this year.

He had made repeated attempts to contact her, despite her making it clear by text she didn't want to speak to him.

This led to him threatening to publish the intimate photos, which were taken in the course of their relationship.

In one message 25-year-old Till wrote: "If you want to play this way I'll start getting nasty. I've got loads of videos and pictures of you on my laptop."

Subsequently he sent the victim another message stating: "I'll be posting pictures on Facebook of you."

He said that they were 'meant to be together'.

Till set up a fake Facebook profile under another name and set the profile picture – which can be seen by anyone accessing the page – as a naked image of the victim.

He sent her a message from the account and she then contacted the police.

Till pleaded guilty to one count of disclosing private sexual photographs with intent to cause distress and another of failing to answer bail at an earlier hearing.

The court heard he missed an earlier hearing in Kidderminster after falling ill and getting the date of an adjourned hearing wrong. Katherine Maynereid, defending, said Till – who suffers from severe arthritis and Crohn's disease – was 'remorseful and sorry for what he has done'. He was finding it difficult to cope with the break up of his relationship."

Till initially contacted the victim to sort out some issues around payment of bills, Mrs Maynereid said.

But as time went on 'he got more worked up and more frustrated'.

Mrs Maynereid said when Till posted the naked snap online he had had too much to drink and was on a number of prescription drugs.

Mrs Maynereid said Till was 'extremely remorseful' and knew he 'shouldn't have done it.' He has not made any efforts to contact the victim since the incident. Magistrates handed Till a 12-month community order, with a requirement to attend a 30-day rehabilitation programme.

For the two offences, he was fined a total of £110, ordered to pay costs of £85, a victim surcharge of £60 and a court charge of £180.

Magistrates also ordered that the phone Till used to take the intimate pictures should be forfeited and destroyed.

Speaking afterwards, West Midlands deputy chief crown prosecutor Lionel Idan said: "Alex Till sought revenge against the victim by posting a sexually explicit photograph onto a social media website without the victim's permission. This deliberate and callous act was intended to cause the victim maximum distress, humiliation and embarrassment.

"Such criminal actions will not be tolerated by the CPS and the police and we will do everything in our power to obtain justice for victims of this crime by robustly prosecuting all those who engage in such malicious activity.

"The CPS has introduced new guidelines for its prosecutors on revenge porn.

"And I urge anyone who has been a victim of such a crime to report it to the police and to help us bring such offenders to justice."