Coventry mum first woman to be convicted of revenge porn
Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 9:52 pm
The mum-of-four is the first woman in the West Midlands to be convicted under the revenge porn laws
A mum from Coventry has become the first woman in the West Midlands to be convicted under revenge porn laws.
The mum-of-four has been fined £50 after sharing naked images of her former partner on social media.
Ann-Marie Clarke had posted intimate photos of her ex-boyfriend on Facebook, and even went as far as setting one image - with his genitals exposed - as her own profile picture.
Clarke admitted disclosing private sexual photographs online at Coventry Magistrates on Monday June 13, but West Midlands Police is set to appeal the sentence.
The 36-year-old from Stoke, split up with the man in June last year before she distributed the images, that were taken during a holiday to Mexico, in January of this year.
West Midlands Police also found Facebook message exchanges that had been instigated by Clarke.
Officers said the messages were designed to humiliate the 32-year-old victim and have left him ‘emotionally and psychologically scarred’.
Despite admitting the disclosure of the images, she had in fact previously said in a police interview that they had not been shared with the intention of causing harm or distress.
In the interview, Clarke said the images were posted on Facebook some time earlier, and she claimed to not have any recollection, blaming alcohol for the changing of her profile picture.
Sergeant Alex Tarr from Coventry Police’s Public Protection Unit, said: “Securing this revenge porn conviction sends out the message that distributing sensitive images is not a joke or a bit of a laugh but can be very distressing to victims.
“It also shows that victims, and indeed offenders, for this type of offence can be either male or female.
“The man in this case has suffered considerable emotional and psychological distress due to Clarke’s actions. We don’t believe the sentence handed down reflects that distress and we are planning to appeal it.”
During the court case, West Midlands Police and prosecutors had also asked for a restraining order to be imposed but the request was refused by the court.
Legislation making revenge porn a specific offence was introduced last year and makes it illegal to distribute a private sexual image of someone without their consent and with the intention of causing them distress.
It covers images posted to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter well as those that are shared via text message.
The offence carries a maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment.
