Mistress, 24, sent revenge porn to wife of ex-lover, 63
A SCHeMING mistress sent her ex-lover’s wife a video of him in the shower when he began a legal battle to prove he was the father of their love child.
Melissa Thomas, 24, sent the film – which showed the man ‘fully naked front facing’ – with the message: ‘When you phone social services, why don’t you show them what your husband sent me. Good luck, you’ll need it when I’m finished.’
The clip had earlier been sent to Thomas’s former lover, 63, with the message: ‘I just found this video on Facebook with your name and contact attached you perv.’
The message led him and his wife to fear the footage was being circulated on the internet. It came after he had informed Thomas he wanted to see the child, and was planning to go to court to get a DNA test after issues over access.
But despite admitting disclosing private sexual photographs and films to the man’s wife with intent to cause distress, Thomas yesterday walked free from court.
A district judge said she had been spared jail because she was the main carer for her young son. She was handed a 12week suspended sentence and ordered to pay just £100 in compensation to her former lover’s wife, as well as a victim surcharge of £115 and court costs of £85.
Former university student Thomas denies that she also sent the clip to her victim’s husband, and police say they have been unable to establish who sent it.
Manchester Magistrates’ Court had earlier heard that Thomas began the affair with the man – a father of two – in September 2013. Prosecutor Kate Gaskell said: ‘The relationship continued until October 2014. In September of that year he found out the defendant was pregnant.’
Miss Gaskell said that after the affair ended, the man had reunited with his wife after a period of separation. ‘The child was born in July 2015,’ she said. ‘There was no contact between [him and Thomas] from November 2014 to March 2015 when Melissa found out that he was going to court to get DNA testing relating to the child.
‘There were difficulties relating to the child with access and child support ... He wanted to see the child but this was made difficult for him because of the defendant.’
Miss Gaskell said that in August last year the man was sent a ‘video clip of him which lasted approximately 13 seconds, of him in the shower, fully naked front facing which was taken on a caravan holiday in June 2014’.
She said: ‘The defendant and another female had taken the video ...with his consent at that time. The messages that came with the video were, “I just found this video on Facebook with your name and contact attached you perv”; “How can you threaten a young boy?”; “Is your wife committing benefit fraud?”
‘He showed the messages and the video to his wife and was worried that the video was being circulated on the internet.’
The man’s wife took his phone to the police. Later that day she was also sent the clip from a phone belonging to Thomas.
Thomas admitted sending the video because she ‘didn’t like them’. She claimed she had also been a victim of revenge porn, which had ‘made her mentally unwell’. Defence lawyer Suzanne Ludlow said: ‘Miss Thomas ... is very aware of the seriousness of these offences and she really regrets sending that message.’