Revenge porn: Law change makes prosecuting perpetrators easier

It will be easier to convict people who share revenge porn, following calls for a crackdown by campaigners including reality television star Georgia Harrison.

The amendments to the Online Safety Bill will also deliver on the government’s pledge to ban the sharing of deep-fake pornography – explicit images or videos that have been digitally manipulated to look like someone else – without the consent of those depicted.

Revenge porn was criminalised in 2015 but Tuesday’s amendments will remove the requirement for prosecutors to prove perpetrators intended to cause distress in order to secure a conviction.

The changes will make the sharing of intimate images without consent a base offence with a maximum penalty of six months’ imprisonment, the Ministry of Justice said.

The Only Way Is Essex star Harrison, 28, was among those to call for a change to legislation after her ex-partner Stephen Bear, 33, was sentenced to 21 months in prison earlier this year.

The 2016 Celebrity Big Brother winner was found guilty of voyeurism, and two counts of disclosing private, sexual photographs and films after sharing a video of them having sex on his OnlyFans account.

Harrison, who also appeared on Love Island, said: “The reforms to the law that have been passed today are going to go down in history as a turning point for generations to come and will bring peace of mind to so many victims who have reached out to me whilst also giving future victims the justice they deserve.

“I’m so grateful to everyone who supported me throughout this campaign and it just goes to show how amazing our country is that the government have reacted so quickly to push through these amendments.”

The changes come after a detailed review by the Law Commission, which recommended reforming measures protecting against intimate image abuse.

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said: “We are cracking down on abusers who share or manipulate intimate photos in order to hound or humiliate women and girls.

“Our changes will give police and prosecutors the powers they need to bring these cowards to justice, safeguarding women and girls from such vile abuse.”

Refuge chief executive Ruth Davison welcomed the amendments amid “woefully low” conviction rates for intimate image abuse.

“The amendments to the Online Safety Bill announced today will make it easier to prosecute perpetrators of intimate image abuse, ensuring justice and better protections for survivors,” she said.

Domestic abuse commissioner Nicole Jacobs added: “Intimate image abuse causes significant distress to victims and survivors and often exists as part of a wider pattern of abuse that continues offline.

“I am pleased to see these changes in the Online Safety Bill that will hold perpetrators to account for this insidious form of abuse and hope to see it pass soon.”