Niagara man guilty of sharing nude pics of ex-girlfriend

A 29-year-old Niagara Falls man who online shared intimate nude photographs of his former girlfriend has been placed on probation for 18 months.

“These offences are extremely concerning to those who find their images on the internet,” said Judge Ann Watson.

“(The images) can end up almost anywhere and it’s almost impossible to get them removed.”

The man, who cannot be identified in order to protect the identity of the victim, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines to a charge of transmitting intimate images of a female without her consent and a second offence of breach of recognizance.

Court heard the victim, in November 2017, had posed for several “intimate and sexual in nature” photographs taken by the defendant, her then boyfriend.

“She did not consent to sharing the images in any way,” said assistant Crown attorney Sheena MacDougall.

Soon after, however, a female acquaintance received copies of the images sent via Facebook Messenger from the defendant’s social media account.

The victim was notified in December that her images were online and she contacted police.

Lawyer Patrick Little said the man, a first-time offender, admits his reaction to the breakdown of his relationship with the young woman was “inappropriate.”