In a world where technology is moving at a faster pace than ever before, we have a legal system that is struggling to keep up with the quite recent phenomenon of what is widely referred to as revenge porn. The most common complaints come from one person (the victim) who was in a relationship with another (the perpetrator) and the victim originally shared explicit images with them because they trusted them and never dreamed that the images would go any further. When the relationship comes to an end the perpetrator might feel aggrieved and take his or her revenge by sharing those images with the rest of the world.

There are also numerous cases of friends falling out and one posting explicit images of the other online. Teenagers in particular routinely share images using applications such as Snapchat. Many of them believe that they are not at risk because the images are quickly deleted by the app itself soon after being shared. What they don’t consider is that anyone who wanted to do so could take a screen shot of the image concerned and distribute it at a later date.

Even where explicit images have not been shared, most people who own a smart phone and are minded to do so could photoshop another person’s face onto a naked body. Shockingly, there are now websites out there which have been set up for the sole purpose of giving these perpetrators a forum on which to share these intimate images.

The effect of revenge porn on a victim can be devastating. Many blame themselves for having created the image in the first place and many are too ashamed or embarrassed to seek help.

If you become a victim of revenge porn then your first priority is likely to be to get the image removed. You should contact The Revenge Porn Helpline on 0845 6000 459 or go to www.revengepornhelpline.org.uk. This organisation has links with many of the large social media sites and they can help you to get the image removed.

Before removing the image you should take a screen shot of it, ensuring if possible that you capture the details of the person who posted it and when it was posted. You might then want to take your evidence to the police because posting these images can constitute a criminal offence. In April 2015, section 33 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 came into force. This makes it a criminal offence to disclose “private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress”. A person who re-tweets or forwards these images could also be guilty of the same offence if they did so with the intention of causing distress. Depending on the circumstances, perpetrators could also find themselves guilty of an offence under the Malicious Communications Act and the Stalking and Harassment Act.

You should also think about applying for an injunction against the person concerned. You might be able to get legal aid to help with this. The injunction should be carefully worded to ensure that the perpetrator is prevented from publishing, sharing or creating intimate images or personal information or impersonating the victim online. Breach of an injunction can result in the perpetrator being fined or sent to prison for up to 5 years or both.