In December, Stephen Bear was found guilty of a chilling form of sexual abuse. He shared sexual footage of his ex-girlfriend, Georgia Harrison, without her permission or knowledge, which resulted in the clip appearing on the online subscription site OnlyFans.
The court case that followed – where he was accused of voyeurism and two counts of disclosing private, sexual photographs and films – has shed light on the increasing issues around sharing intimate images, which is a form of abuse if done without the subject's consent. There's much more to be aware of than just the phrase “revenge porn”, as this form of abuse can come in numerous forms.
Defined by experts as “non-consensual creation and/or distribution of private, sexual images”, the phrase image-based sexual abuse covers a broader area of behaviour than revenge porn does, because, unfortunately, it can go much further than just one act of abuse.
GLAMOUR asked a legal expert and a manager of a hotline supporting victims what we can do if we encounter one of these forms of abuse – here's everything you need to know.
Revenge pornography
What is it? The threat by an ex-partner or someone close to you of sharing intimate pictures without your consent – behaviour which is normally part of an abusive relationship pattern. This is a huge issue: there are over 3,000 websites dedicated to revenge porn, currently.
What can I do if this happens to me?
“This is a criminal offence, and the majority of online platforms have robust policies that disallow this content and should have reporting routes for users to follow,” Sophie Mortimer, manager of the Revenge Porn Helpline, says.
“Alternatively, the Revenge Porn Helpline is always available to support adults in the UK with the removal of this sort of content. We know that it can be deeply distressing for people to try to do this for themselves.”
You have legal options too: “The victim can seek prosecution through the police or private prosecution,” Sophie Campbell-Adams, solicitor and legal expert at Britton and Time Solicitors advises. "The latter is when the victim will issue their own claim against the abuser and seek the criminal sentence that would have been given if the Crown Prosecution Service prosecuted.
“As a last resort, once the criminal aspect has been thoroughly exhausted, the victim can obtain an injunction (ordering the abuser to remove the images and/or prohibit the abuser from committing the abusive acts) and seek compensation through the civil courts. Anyone breaching an injunction can face prison time, potentially leading to multiple sentences for abusers.”
The act of making revenge pornography is punishable by a maximum prison sentence of 2 years.
Nudification
What is it? A disturbing example of “deepfaking” – where AI is used to add a person's face or body into a photo or video that didn't contain them originally, usually for malicious purposes and to spread false information – nudification is defined by the stripping of a subject nude, digitally. It's chilling, particularly when used to make non-consensual pornography.
What can I do if this happens to me?
“Nudification apps, like deepfakes, are not currently illegal under the legislation around intimate images,” Mortimer explains. “We hope this will change amendments from the Law Commission. Depending on the circumstances (ie if it was targeted) it might be part of a campaign of harassment, but there is really very little support for victims currently.”
If you can prove harassment, there are legal options as well, according to Campbell-Adams.
“The abuse can be reported to the police and could amount to harassment if the conduct is repetitive,” she says. "There are also civil remedies available to victims of harassment which include obtaining an injunction and seeking compensation.
“If the images remain on a social media page/website or they refuse to remove them, the website provider could be guilty of a criminal offence.”
Upskirting
What is it? Defined as “the surreptitious and nonconsensual taking of images or videos up a woman’s skirt”, upskirting was made illegal in England in 2019 after activist Gina Martin campaigned tirelessly for it after being upskirted at a festival. 153 reports of this type abuse were made in 2020, though, meaning it continues to be a distressing problem for women.
What can I do if this happens to me?
“Upskirting is now a criminal offence, however, the reality of the behaviour is that it is covert so victims are rarely aware that they have been violated in this way,” Mortimer explains. "And so they are not likely ever to know that the content has been created and shared.
"However, if someone was aware of this content being shared about them they can report to the relevant platforms (many have policies around voyeuristic content) or come to the Revenge Porn Helpline and we will do whatever we can to support.
Similar to a case of revenge pornography, a victim can seek prosecution through the police or private prosecution.
Recording of sexual assault
What is it? A completely horrific facet of image-based sexual abuse. Perpetrators have been known to recording victims as they are raped and/or sexually assaulted, and have in the past shared this on social media, which has led to the harassment and further humiliation of the victim.
“Sadly this is something that we have seen,” Mortimer says. "Quite clearly it is a criminal offence, piled on top of another serious criminal offence and should be reported to the police.
“We will always do what we can to report and remove this content where is appears online, however if there is a criminal case happening, we would need to be sure that relevant evidence had been collected to support that investigation before reporting.”
What can I do if this happens to me?
Similar to a case of revenge pornography or upskirting, a victim can seek prosecution through the police or private prosecution.
Sextortion
What is it? Experts say that you are a victim of sextortion if you have been coerced into creating and sharing images or performing sexual acts, and then threatened by a perpetrator with exposure unless you continue to do it.
What can I do if this happens to me?
“Sextortion has sadly become a very common type of incident reported to us," Mortimer says. "The advice is consistent: stop, block and report. Stop Communicating; Block the account; Report the profile to the platform.
Similar to a case of revenge pornography and upskirting, a victim can seek prosecution through the police or private prosecution.
Blackmail is punishable by a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.
Downblousing
What is it? It's defined by Campbell-Adams as "the act of taking a photograph or image down somebody’s shirt, blouse or top without their consent".
What can I do if this happens to me?
Similar to the situation with nudification, downblousing is not a criminal offence, which makes it harder to report. However, Campbell-Adams advises that "the abuse can still be reported to the police and could amount to harassment if the conduct is repetitive".
"There are calls for this to be made a criminal offence with particular support from the Law Commission," she explains.
"If these images are shared on a social media platform and/or other websites, you can report the images and seek their removal. If the images remain on the social media page/website or they refuse to remove them, the website provider could be guilty of a criminal offence
What needs to change for image-based sexual abuse to be better prosecuted and prevented?
“There is a lack of reporting to the police which in turn leads to a lack of prosecution leaving the abuser free to continue abusing their victim or to abuse new victims,” Campbell-Adams says.
“There seems to be a stigma around reporting this kind of crime and the victim is often left feeling embarrassed or that it is their fault this has happened. This is sadly the case for all sexually based crimes. Furthermore, these crimes are largely unreported in the media due to the victim not being named unless the victim is a public figure and has asked for their name to be revealed.”
She adds that the issue doesn't end with prosecution – it can be difficult to remove offensive images and videos from sites once they've been shared.
“The removal of the images is the responsibility of the website or social media provider,” Campbell-Adams explains. “Being found guilty of an offence does not force the removal from the website it has been posted to.
"Most reputable operators are likely to be compliant in its removal, however some victims may find it difficult to force certain website providers to remove the offending post or upload. Even if the content is removed, others may have downloaded any photos or videos and shared them on other sites without the victim’s knowledge, leading to further distribution.
“As such, getting a guilty conviction is only half the battle.”
If you have had your intimate images shared without your consent, remember that you are not alone and there is help available. Get in touch with the Revenge Porn Helpline on help@revengepornhelpline.org.uk. There is also a step-by-step guide on notyourporn.com which should be followed before taking any action.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qLjApqauqp2WtKLGyKecZ5ufY8Kse8Crq6KbnJp8qrnAoJxmmpGosqV50p6vrpmcYq6jwdKeZJqcpp6wpnnRnq2eppeaerG70ac%3D