A mother of four has been the first woman jailed for revenge porn in the UK after posting explicit images of her former partner on Facebook.
Samantha Watt took a series of intimate images of the 21-year old during the course of the relationship, including pictures of her former partner performing a sex act on her.
The victim was later horrified when the images were posted by Watt to her Facebook page on July 1st with the caption:
“This girl pays for rent with sex and dirty pics lol she wants a taste of Sam’s life she’s getting a taste of how I can be. You can’t disrespect me.”
She then continued to humiliate and insult the victim by joining in with friends who left comments suggesting the victim was involved in prostitution and paedophilia.
Samantha Watt pleaded guilty to the charges brought against her.
According to The Telegraph, district judge Julia Newton jailed her for 18 weeks, but Watt will serve only half before she is released on licence.
Speaking about her decision to bestow a custodial sentence, Judge Newton said:
“I have considered all the evidence very carefully and give you credit for your guilty plea to this offence and take into account everything said on your behalf. However I have considered the impact on the complainant and that impact has been enormous.
“In her personal statement she expresses concern that the photos may re-emerge in the future. The photos themselves are very graphic in nature and were widely available for distribution over which she had no control.
“This has been hanging over her for a number of months because you originally chose to plead not guilty. You were her landlady and considerably older than her and in a position of trust. She was clearly identified in the post and there were comments about her being involved in prostitution and paedophilia that you actively encouraged.”
Watt originally claimed that one of the images was of her own genitals, and that she posted the image of a sex act being performed intending to be funny.
She later admitted to police she used the images as a threat to the victim if she didn’t stop ‘treating her badly’.
Watt’s defence lawyer told the court that her client had been diagnosed with depression earlier this year, but realises she made a drastic mistake:
“There was an argument between her and the complainant and she admits she made a mistake and she is ashamed and embarrassed about what has happened.
“She suffered domestic abuse in her previous relationship and has fallen out with her mother due to these proceedings.”
As well as the jail sentence, Watt has been ordered to pay £460 between victim surcharges and court costs.
Watt was prosecuted under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 – the first female conviction on revenge porn since the updated laws were introduced in October last year.
Lead Image: The Telegraph
