Revenge Porn Is Now Illegal And Comes With A Hefty Prison Sentence

A change in the law is making revenge porn a criminal offence.

Revenge porn - the distribution of a private sexual image of someone without their consent and with the intention of causing them distress - is to become a criminal offence punishable with up to two years in prison.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling, who has proposed the change to the law, said: 'The fact that there are individuals who are cruelly distributing intimate pictures of their former partners without their consent is almost beyond belief. 'We want those who fall victim to this type of disgusting behaviour to know that we are on their side and will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice. 'That is why we will change the law and make it absolutely clear to those who act in this way that they could face prison.'

The minister for women and equalities, Nicky Morgan, added: 'Circulating intimate photos of an individual without their consent is never acceptable. People are entitled to expect a reasonable level of respect and privacy.

'It is right that those who do circulate these images are held to account, and that we educate young people to the hurt that can be caused by breaking this trust.'

The change to the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill means that anyone who shares sexual pictures on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter could face prosecution as well as those who share images by text message, email, on a website or by way of a physical copy.

There has been mounting pressure for a change in the law after it emerged that children as young as 11 years old had been victims of revenge porn, along with celebrities like Rihanna and Tulisa Contostavlos.

What do you think? Will this new law prevent people using revenge porn to humiliate ex-partners? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.