A 39 year-old man has become the first person in England and Wales to be convicted of cyberflashing after a court heard that he sent unsolicited photos to a 15-year-old girl and a woman in February.

The crime refers to the sending of an unsolicited sexual image to people via social media, dating apps, text message or data-sharing services such as Bluetooth and Airdrop, and became an offence in England and Wales on 31 January as part of the Online Safety Act.

Nicholas Hawkes, who was already a registered sex offender, was jailed  for 66 weeks after admitting to two counts of sending a photograph or film of genitals to cause alarm, distress or humiliation. 

Cyberflashing is a huge problem. Figures from domestic abuse charity Refuge suggest that one in three UK women have experienced online abuse or harassment. 

According to dating app Bumble, more than one in three (35%) women have received an unsolicited nude image while at work, and over one in four (27%) have received one while travelling on public transport. Almost one in five (19%) have received images just while walking down the street.

However, over half of young people who receive unwanted sexual images online don’t report the abuse, a separate report by University College London and the University of Kent found.

Currently, victims of cyberflashing and image-based abuse receive lifelong anonymity under the Sexual Offences Act from the point they report the offence, and the landmark case will hopefully encourage other victims to come forward. 

“Cyberflashing is a grotesque crime and the fact we were able to deliver swift justice for the two victims shows the new law is working,” said Sefer Mani, from Crown Prosecution Service East of England, of the conviction.

“Everyone should feel safe wherever they are and not be subjected to receiving unwanted sexual images.

“I urge anyone who feels they have been a victim of cyberflashing to report it to the police and know that they will be taken seriously and have their identities protected.” 

If you have been a victim of sexual assault or another gender-based crime, find advice and support at endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk. For free and confidential legal advice, contact Rights Of Women’s telephone advice line.

Images: Getty