Man sent sex videos to former girlfriend’s mum
A MAN left his ex-girlfriend feeling embarrassed and disgusted after sending sex videos to her mother and friends on Facebook when they broke up.
Steven Balmont, 21, sent two intimate films to his former partner’s mum and her friends using Facebook Messenger, causing her to feel too humiliated and unwell to leave the house.
Sentencing him at Cardiff Crown Court, Judge Rhys Rowlands said: “You behaved in a fairly wicked fashion.”
The court heard Balmont had been in a relationship with the woman for two or three years.
Kathryn Lane, prosecuting, said the defendant sent sexual images of himself and the victim to her mother and three of her friends.
In a victim personal statement read out in court, the woman said the incident made her feel “embarrassed” and “disgusted”.
She said she was left feeling stressed and could not eat properly, feels unwell and has been prescribed antidepressants. She said she had lost her confidence and feels too embarrassed to go out.
Balmont, from Havelock Place in Grangetown, admitted disclosing a private sexual image with intent to cause distress.
Jonathan Lewis, defending, told the court his client had no previous convictions. He said he was 18 when he met the woman and “became quite besotted with her”.
Mr Lewis accepted the defendant’s actions were “abhorrent”, adding: “He never set out to cause [the victim] the distress he clearly did.”
The judge said: “That is absolute tosh. Absolute nonsense. What on earth was he doing sending those images? I reject that unreservedly. That sort of ridiculous nonsense.”
Mr Lewis replied: “He knows the harm he has caused.”
Judge Rowlands said: “And intended to cause. It is disgusting. It is vile and he needs to grow up.
“He can either do that in the community, or he is going to grow up very quickly in prison.”
Mr Lewis said Balmont had achieved a diploma in business studies and was trying to get a grant to run a social enterprise helping vulnerable young people through sport.
The court heard he had previous jobs with a bookmaker and in a call centre.
A pre-sentence report found Balmont had a significant level of immaturity and lack of moral reasoning.
Judge Rowlands said he had committed “a serious and deeply disquieting offence”.
Part way through his sentencing remarks, the judge asked: “Are you listening?” Balmont said he was. The judge told him: “Stand up straight.”
The judge described the defendant’s behaviour as “absolutely vile” and “absolutely disgusting”.
He told him: “You have come within an ace of going into prison this morning. You would have had a deeply unpleasant experience when you arrived there.”
He was given a 30-week prison sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to complete 20 days of a rehabilitation activity, plus 150 hours of unpaid work.
The judge imposed a three-year restraining order and ordered him to pay a £149 victim surcharge.