Sending naked selfies is a hallmark of our age, says judge

A JUDGE declared sending naked pictures to prospective partners is now a “hallmark of society” as he jailed a man for repeatedly sending revenge porn.

Daniel Stainton, 26, of Cheltenham, admitted blackmailing three young women who sent him naked pictures of themselves after meeting him on social media. Passing sentence, Judge Jamie Tabor QC said: “Whatever trust these ladies had in men has disappeared, unsurprisingly. It is a hallmark of our society now that young women and sometimes young men – and sometimes mature people – exchange such photographs. All well and good.

“But what people do not appear to appreciate is that these images are not gone in a moment – they can hang around, as we can see in this case, for years. There came a time when you were hard up for money and decided to embark on this campaign of blackmail.”

The court heard one of the victims paid Stainton almost £1,000 not to go public with the intimate pictures of her, Gloucester Crown Court was told.

Stainton, who pleaded guilty to disclosing private sexual photographs with intent to cause distress, was jailed for five years and three months.

Richard Posner, prosecuting, said the victims were left feeling “degraded, humiliated and traumatised”.

“He seems to have been motivated by greed, which demonstrates a high level of deviancy and manipulation.”