Man gets jail time for nude posts of ex

WINNIPEG— A Winnipeg man has been given 90 days in jail after admitting he posted nude photos of his ex-girlfriend on Facebook in revenge for her cheating on him with a coworker.

The man, who can’t be named to protect the victim’s identity, was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty to publishing and distributing intimate images without the woman’s consent.

He admitted to posting three explicit photos of the woman to the co-worker’s Facebook page for up to two hours last March, just weeks after the Criminal Code offence came into force.

It’s not clear how many people may have seen them, or whether any copies of the images were made.

The judge rejected the man’s bid for a conditional penalty that would have allowed him to remain free in the community. He will serve his sentence intermittently on weekends and will be placed on supervised probation, which includes a three-year ban on using the Internet, except for work purposes.

“Ultimately, the eventual harm here is unknown,” Crown prosecutor Nadine Vasas told court. “There was an understanding these (images) were to remain within the relationship.”

The woman previously told the court that she would often read about relationship “horror stories” on social media but never imagined she would become a victim following the end of her yearlong relationship with the man. “I never thought someone who once loved me could do something so degrading,” she said. “My life has been turned upside down. I’ve lost all self-respect.”

She described how several people have told her over the past year they “know me from somewhere,” which always leaves her feeling as if they must have seen the photos.

Defence lawyer Karl Gowenlock said the breakup left his client drowning his sorrows in alcohol and hard drugs, which led him to committing an act he instantly regretted.

“He feels genuine remorse and shame. Prior to this, this is probably the last person anyone would expect to see coming before the courts,” he said.

Manitoba provincial court judge Carena Roller said a strong message must be sent that this type of criminal behaviour will have serious consequences.