Southport Visiter

Boss is jailed for ‘revenge porn’ pic

- BY JONATHAN HUMPHRIES jonathan.humphries@reachplc.com @SeftonEcho

ABUILDING firm boss has been jailed for sharing “revenge porn” on Whatsapp that left his victim depressed and suicidal.

Joseph Sammon, director of Trafalgar All Trades in Southport, “betrayed the trust” of a former partner by sharing the graphic image – which was seen by her daughter.

The 40-year-old changed his profile picture on the messaging app to an intimate photo of the victim, taken when they were a couple, making it visible to all his contacts.

Sammon, of Beach Priory Gardens in Southport, was jailed for 16 weeks at Liverpool Magistrate­s’ Court after being found guilty of disclosing a private sexual photograph with intent to cause distress.

He also admitted an unrelated charge of possession of an air rifle without a certificat­e, found during a search of his home.

Michael Cain, prosecutin­g, told the court Sammon “struggled to accept” the breakdown of his relationsh­ip.

The offence was uncovered after the victim’s daughter was shown it by her partner.

Mr Cain said: “The complainan­t became aware of the photo through her daughter. Her daughter said she spoke to her mum in relation to the matter, she confirms she went to pick her mum up and describes her as shaking and like a mess.”

The photo remained online for 36 hours, despite the woman’s family sending messages to Sammon begging him to take it down.

A victim personal statement (VPS), read in court by Mr Cain, said: “From the day my ex-partner, Joseph Sammon, put an intimate picture of me on social media my world has turned upside down...

“Even though events were totally out of my control I feel like I have let my children down. They look to me for guidance and to be a good mother and I feel like I have totally failed them.”

The woman stated she had begun taking medication for depression for the first time since the incident and had been plagued by suicidal thoughts.

She said: “This has totally destroyed the person that I am. I have gone from a confident lady to someone unable to get in a taxi alone.

“I have not had a relationsh­ip since this happened and I feel like a relationsh­ip is not part of my future. I don’t feel like I would be able to trust someone again.

“More than anything I am hoping that I will come through and learn to know myself and gain a little normality in my life, and I will be able to go one day without thinking about that dreadful picture.”

The court heard the matter was reported to police and Sammon was interviewe­d.

He claimed he had accidental­ly changed his profile picture when drunk and denied the offences in court. However he was convicted by Judge Shaw, who rejected his explanatio­n after a summary trial.

Mr Cain said the air rifle was found to fire pellets with power exceeding the 12ft/lb pressure limit, meaning it required a certificat­e.

The court heard Sammon had 16 conviction­s for 24 offences on his record, including assaults, theft and possession of a samurai sword back in 2005.

Brian Smith, defending, said the victim was not required to give evidence in the trial and that his client did not wish her any harm.

He said Sammon ran a successful firm with his business partner employing 12 people, and that he had changed his ways since the majority of his offending in his youth.

But Judge Shaw said: “The VPS very eloquently described the effect of the publicatio­n of intimate photos taken in the context of a loving relationsh­ip...

“You have an extensive history of domestic abuse and offences against a number of different persons.

“What you did was an appalling breach of trust and the only appropriat­e sentence is imprisonme­nt.”

Sammon was also banned from contacting the victim and ordered to pay £400 compensati­on on his release.

 ??  ?? Joseph Sammon: shared an intimate image of an ex-partner on Whats App
Joseph Sammon: shared an intimate image of an ex-partner on Whats App

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