Northern Ireland

Revenge Porn to be made a criminal offence in Northern Ireland

Revenge porn is to be made a criminal offence in Northern Ireland
Revenge porn is to be made a criminal offence in Northern Ireland Revenge porn is to be made a criminal offence in Northern Ireland

Revenge porn is to become a criminal offence in Northern Ireland, carrying a penalty of up to two years in prison.

Assembly members this week took 12 hours to vote on proposals as part of 86 amendments to the Justice Bill.

Alastair Ross, DUP chair of the justice committee, had proposed the measure in relation to revenge porn legislation.

England and Wales already already have legislation in place, making it a criminal offence for someone to publish explicit sexual images or videos of former partners.

The new law for Northern Ireland creates a new offence of disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress.

Mr Ross said the move would "send a clear message to potential perpetrators that such behaviour will not be tolerated, and hopefully it will provide some assurance to victims that this type of crime is being taken seriously by legislators and the law enforcement agencies."

"We all now have smartphones capable of taking photographs and videos, all of which can be shared online almost instantly," he said.

"Therefore, I think that the law needs to keep pace with technological changes and recognise the world that we live in today. The (Justice) Committee believes that introducing a specific offence to deal with revenge porn will assist the police and the Public Prosecution Service in tackling this obnoxious crime."

Olivia O'Kane, a media lawyer at Carson McDowell, said the creation of a specific offence in relation to revenge porn would bring "clarity and transparency to the law which will hopefully encourage victims to come forward to seek help".

"Any piece of legislation which provides clarity and a greater understanding for police officers, prosecutors and the public to know and understand what they should be looking for when investigating these crimes can only be a positive change," she said.

Meanwhile, a move by Assembly members to also tighten animal cruelty laws has been welcomed.

Justice Minister David Ford had brought forward an amendment seeking to reform the Welfare of Animals Act.

He said the move had been sparked after the case of Cody the dog, who had to be put down after being set on fire in 2012.

The amendment means the maximum sentence handed down in the Crown Court for animal cruelty crimes will increase from two years to five.

Anyone found guilty of unnecessary suffering to animals or causing and attending an animal fight will face up to 12 months' imprisonment instead of six, and the maximum fine for conviction will rise from £5,000 to £20,000.

Janice Watt, from League Against Cruel Sports N Ireland, said harsher penalties would act as "a more effective deterrent to help stop this horrific cruelty being inflicted on man’s best friend.

"This development will hopefully lay the foundations for other parts of the UK to implement similarly increased penalties".

A further proposal making it a statutory offence to assault paramedics was also passed.

It is hoped they will take effect when the Justice Bill becomes law.