Children of 11 are victims of revenge porn
CHILDREN as young as 11 have become victims of revenge pornography amid a surge in cases, an investigation has found.
Pupils are having their lives ruined by classmates who upload explicit images of them to the internet.
Adults are also being blackmailed by threats to post their naked photographs online.
Figures uncovered using Freedom of Information laws show that between January 2012 and June 2014, eight police forces dealt with 149 incidents which involved revenge porn.
But during a much shorter and more recent period – the six months leading up to April this year – 14 police forces dealt with 139 cases of the criminal offence. This led to 13 people being charged or cautioned over the offence – double the number who ended up being charged or cautioned between 2012 and 2014.
According to the official figures, the youngest victim of the offence was only 11 years old. The statistics revealed that the oldest person targeted by revenge porn was a pensioner.
Celebrities, including pop stars Rihanna and Tulisa Contostavlos, have also fallen victim to the cruel practice.
Last night Sarah Green, of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said: ‘Awareness of socalled revenge pornography has grown and victims feel more confident that this crime will be taken seriously if reported.
‘We urge the police and courts to continue the pursuit of those who commit this horrible offence. We also urge the Government to step up their efforts to prevent this kind of abuse happening in the first place.’ In February, the Government introduced a specific criminal offence of ‘revenge porn’ under which jilted lovers who post explicit images of their ex-partners online will face up to two years in jail. This followed the Crown Prosecution Service publishing new guidelines on how police could deal with revenge porn offences within existing legislation.
These include cases where intimate images are sent in a bid to force someone into sexual activity, which could see the sender jailed for up to 14 years.
In November last year, a man who posted naked pictures of his ex- girlfriend on the internet became one of the first to be jailed for revenge porn.
Liam King, 21, was imprisoned for 12 weeks after pleading guilty to harassment for posting intimate pictures online of an ex-girlfriend who spurned him.
Last night a CPS spokesman said: ‘Revenge porn is a particularly nasty crime and we have been bringing successful cases to court for some years under existing legislation.
The term was included in CPS legal guidance, as it became apparent this type of offending was growing, in order to make it clear to police and prosecutors which legislation could be used to prosecute.
‘The new offence has added to the powers available to prosecutors, and the CPS will use this legislation to bring the strongest possible cases to court.’
However Jef McAllister, of London-based law firm McAllister Olivarius, which represents sex abuse victims, said: ‘The new law and CPS guidelines are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to eliminating the problem.’
‘A particularly nasty crime’