Revenge porn: 200 prosecutions since new laws bought in to tackle crime
More than 200 revenge porn prosecutions have been brought since new laws to tackle the crime were rolled out, an official report has revealed.
The figures were revealed as Britain's most senior prosecutor warned of a 'growing trend' of offences over social media.
There were 206 cases started nationally against defendants accused of disclosing private sexual images without consent in 2015/16.
The offence, which carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison, was introduced in April 2015 after calls from campaigners and victims.
In the first 12 months since the laws were introduced, 102 cases were reported to police in the West Midlands, though only 16 of those ended with someone being charged or summoned.
Another 14 cases led to cautions but many stalled due to difficulties identifying suspects or victims deciding not to pursue their complaint.
The picture had been sent to eight different people including her new partner, friends, work colleagues and a family member, who were all male, Dudley Magistrates Court was told.
The 25-year-old was handed a community order and fine after he uploaded a naked picture of an ex-partner to Facebook.
The vast majority of victims in the cases dealt with by West Midlands Police were women, with only 12 reports relating to men.
Facebook was the most frequently used method of distributing images, with Instagram, WhatsApp and text messages also used.
Half of the cases involved either a partner or ex-partner.
A total of 44 cases were also reported to West Mercia Police up to May, although not all those led to a formal prosecution.
Of these, 37 victims were women, with 31 cases involving the offence being committed against ex-partners.
Prior to the law change, revenge porn cases had to be dealt with through existing copyright or harassment laws.
Director of Public Prosecutions Alison Saunders said: "There is a growing trend of crimes committed on or through social media.
"Since the new legislation came into force, there have been over 200 prosecutions for disclosing private sexual images without consent.
"We have also found that defendants in controlling or coercive cases rely on tactics such as GPS tracking and monitoring phone or email messages.
"The use of the internet, social media and other forms of technology to humiliate, control and threaten individuals is rising."
