It is also an offence to share a photograph or film which shows a person in an “intimate state” and the person in that state does not consent to the sharing and the sharer does not reasonable believe that that person is consenting. It is also an offence for a person to share for sexual gratification or to cause the person in the image “alarm, distress or humiliation” if the sender does not reasonably believe the person in the image to be consenting.
When it comes to sharing such images a real risk would be on Whats app forums where an individual adds an image or video clip to the group, which he may have gotten from elsewhere and it becomes instantly available to all without consent, then beyond to other groups or individuals. So in effect it possibly becomes a chain of offending by different persons, most who may not know the original complainant in the image, nor whether or not she/he/they were consenting or not.
The wisest course in such circumstances, if in doubt, would be to delete the images, speak to the administrator about the new content for the content to be removed, and for the police to be informed.
It is also an offence to threaten to share a photograph or film of a person in an “intimate state” with the intention of, or being reckless as to whether that person would fear the threat being carried out.
If you have any questions, please contact us at info@dorianlaw.co.uk or the contact page on this website.