‘DISTURBED’

U.K. Sentences First Offender Under New ‘Cyberflashing’ Law

In January, a new law went into effect in the U.K., which criminalized sending unwanted nude pictures on social media and messaging apps.

In the first case of its kind, a British court sentenced a man on Tuesday for “cyberflashing,” according to the BBC. Prosecutors alleged that 39 year-old Nicholas Hawkes, a convicted sex offender, sent a graphic photograph of his genitals to one woman on Whatsapp, and one 15 year-old child. Hawkes pleaded guilty to the charges, and was sentenced to 66 weeks in prison. While delivering her ruling, Judge Samantha Leigh said that Hawkes was "disturbed" and had a “warped view of himself and his sexuality.” Detective Chief Inspector James Gray with the Essex Police said Hawkes had “proven himself to be a dangerous individual.” In January, the Online Safety Act went into effect in the U.K., which criminalized sending unwanted nude pictures on social media and messaging apps. “Just as those who commit indecent exposure in the physical world can expect to face the consequences, so too should offenders who commit their crimes online; hiding behind a screen does not hide you from the law,” Gray said. In addition to jail time, Hawkes was handed a restraining order barring him from contacting the two women for 10 years, and a 15-year order banning him from approaching women he does not know in some public spaces.