A 35-year-old man has been charged over ‘revenge porn’ offences after he allegedly distributed intimate images and videos of his former girlfriend without her permission.
The man is accused of sending the private material to relatives of the woman and sharing it on a pornography website, the Australian Federal Police said.
The AFP alleged that the videos and images were taken consensually, but were circulated without the woman’s permission in December 2019, after the relationship broke down.
He also allegedly sent dozens of text messages to the woman who lives overseas, in which he threatened to release more of the sexually explicit material.
The AFP said its investigators executed a search warrant at his home in Byford, Western Australia, on 22 December last year and seized a number of electronic devices, after the woman complained about his behaviour.
He was charged with one count of aggravated use of a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence, involving the transmission and publication or distribution of material of a private sexual nature.
On Friday, he appeared at the Perth Magistrate’s court where he has been given personal bail. He will return to the court on 13 March again.
The maximum penalty for this offence is five years imprisonment.
AFP Acting Commander for Western Australia Timothy Underhill said such incidents are on the rise.
“There is a growing prevalence of image-based abuse and these crimes can be devastating for victims,” he said.
He said anyone who falls victim to such crimes should report the matter to authorities.
“We also encourage people to seek help from a trusted relative, friend or professional support service – it can be a complex situation, but nothing is so bad that you cannot tell someone,” he said.
Mr Underhill sail anyone who wants help to have intimate images removed from the internet can contact the eSafety Commissioner.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said they have helped more than 2,100 victims have their intimate images removed from the internet since 2017.
“We have a 90 per cent success rate in getting intimate images down from more than 150 overseas sites,” she said.
“Image-based abuse is a growing problem and its inclusion in the Criminal Code reflects this.”
The AFP and the eSafety Commission suggest the following to anyone who is a victim of image-based abuse
- do not send any more images or videos or give in to any other demands
- get support from a trusted friend or family member, or professional support services
- collect as much evidence as you can, including screenshots, URLs or any other records
- report the matter to police
- if you are worried about your physical safety, call Triple Zero (000).
For more information about image-based abuse or for help with the removal of intimate content posted online, contact the eSafety Commissioner (esafety.gov.au/imagebasedabuse).
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