Nicholas Hawkes, a 39-year-old man from Essex, England, has pleaded guilty to two counts of cyber-harassment for sending explicit penis photos via WhatsApp. This is the first criminal case of its kind.
Hawkes admitted to the charges in the Southend Magistrates Court on Friday, February 9th. The prosecution introduced new powers allowing for the prosecution of such offenses less than two weeks ago.
The new powers pertain to the prosecution of cyber-harassment, sharing deepfake nude photos, and voyeurism.
In October of last year, the Online Safety Act was passed, making it a crime to send unsolicited genitalia photos. Prosecutions are evaluated based on their impact on the victim, whether they feel disturbed, outraged, or humiliated.
Additionally, prosecutors consider whether the person sending the photos does so in order to derive sexual gratification.
Siobhan Blake from the CPS stated, “Women and girls should be able to live their lives and go about their daily journeys without being exposed to unwanted sexual images. Our prosecutors are prepared and committed to combating this unacceptable behavior.
“We encourage anyone who has been subjected to illegal cyber-harassment to report it. It is a serious crime, and we are working with the police to build strong cases against the perpetrators who use technology to harass, torment, and victimize others for their own pleasure.
“The Online Safety Act and our accompanying guidelines will provide prosecutors with powerful tools needed to further protect women and girls from predatory behavior online.
“These tools will also enable us to take cases to court and bring to justice those who hide behind computer and smartphone screens to commit their cruel acts.”