English court jails first ‘cyberflasher’ under online safety laws
- Convicted sex offender Nicholas Hawkes, 39, sentenced to 66 weeks in prison
- Cyberflashing involves offenders sending people an unsolicited sexual image
The first person convicted of cyberflashing in England and Wales was sentenced to 66 weeks in prison on Tuesday, prosecutors said, after he sent unsolicited explicit photos of his genitals over WhatsApp.
Nicholas Hawkes, 39, pleaded guilty to two counts of “sending a photograph or film of genitals to cause alarm, distress or humiliation”, police said.
He was sentenced to 52 weeks in prison for cyberflashing offences and to a further 14 weeks for breaching a previous court order, the Crown Prosecutor Service (CPS) said.
In February, Hawkes sent the photos to a 15-year-old girl and a woman, prosecutors said, days after cyberflashing became an offence under the Online Safety Act.
Under the law targeted at combating online sexual harassment, cyberflashing offences on dating apps, AirDrop and other platforms can result in up to two years in prison.
“Just as those who commit indecent exposure in the physical world can expect to face the consequences, so too should offenders who commit their crimes online,” Hannah von Dadelzsen, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS East of England, said.
“Hiding behind a screen does not hide you from the law.”
Defence lawyer Barry Gilbert said Hawkes did not receive sexual gratification from his offences, which he said arose out of the post-traumatic stress he suffered after being kidnapped, stabbed and held for ransom eight years ago.
Judge Samantha Leigh rejected that argument, telling Hawkes that “you clearly are deeply disturbed and have a warped view of yourself and your sexual desires”.
Hawkes was already on the sex offenders register after a conviction last year of sexual activity with a child under 16 years old and exposure, for which he also received a community order.
On Tuesday he also pleaded guilty to breaching that order and breaching a suspended sentence for another sexual offence.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
