Revenge porn victim whose stalker ex leaked imitate photos of her online welcomes law change
03.07.2023 - 18:35
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A woman whose stalker ex-partner leaked intimate photos of her online has welcomed changes to Government legislation, but said: "We still have a long way to go." After a new amendment to the Online Safety Bill, the Ministry of Justice announced last week prosecutors will no longer have to prove intimate and explicit images had been leaked with intent to cause distress.
Karolina Smith, 26, was stalked and harassed by her ex-partner, Ben Rothon, 37. He posted 'countless' intimate images of her on an Instagram account which was shared to her friends and family, a court heard.
In 2019, a judge at Basildon Crown Court found him guilty of stalking causing serious alarm or distress, including an offence for disclosing private sexual content, relating to naked images. He is also subject to a restraining order - which is valid for another six years.
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Karolina says the crime nearly led her to taking her own life - and she was 'heartbroken' to have to prove it in court.
The recent university graduate, from Lancaster, Lancashire, said: "To see these changes to the law is amazing - when it happened to me, I didn’t feel like I had any support.
"I was told by a barrister I’d have to talk through my victim statement in court to prove the Instagram account was damaging to me. I thought it was just a given. It's such a horrible crime, I don’t think victims should have to go the extra mile to prove how horrible it was. To be told I’d need to talk through the effect it had on me in court was really, really heartbreaking.
"Many, many victims are taking their own lives due to image-based sexual abuse. If I didn’t have the support of my boyfriend