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Marie Claire
Marie Claire
Lifestyle
Mischa Anouk Smith

Cyberflashing is finally being prosecuted, but victims may have to hand over their phones

Emily Atack.

Yesterday, Tuesday, 19th March, Nicholas Hawkes was convicted of sending an explicit photo via WhatsApp to a 15-year-old girl and a woman. He has received a 66-month prison sentence for this incident of sexual harassment.

Despite an increase in cyber-flashing—a study by Communia found that just over a third of respondents had been affected—this is the first time that an incident has been prosecuted. The case is part of a crackdown on cyber-flashing as part of The Online Safety Act, which made it a criminal offence punishable by up to two years in prison.

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