The House of Lords has agreed unanimously to make revenge porn a criminal offence in England and Wales.
The sharing of a private sexual image of someone without their consent and to cause distress will be punishable by up to two years in prison, Justice Minister Lord Faulks said. The change to the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill covers sharing of physical
and online copies, and text messages.
MPs must approve the plans before they can become law.
Faulks said the disclosure of revenge porn was extremely distressing and left victims feeling humiliated and distraught . A new offence was needed to punish this pernicious practice and provide an important means of redress for
victims of this cruel behaviour .
If passed into law, the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill will define revenge porn as photographs or films which show people engaged in sexual activity or depicted in a sexual way or with their genitals exposed, where what is shown would not usually be
seen in public .
Update: Vengeful Scotland
23rd October 2014. See article
from scotsman.com
The Scottish Government's has announced that it is actively exploring the creation of a new law to tackle the growth of so-called revenge pornography.
The Scottish Government said yesterday that existing laws could be used to prosecute offenders, but the fact that new legislation is in the pipeline is recognition that a bespoke law is required.
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