The first man convicted of the new offence of #cyberflashing in England & Wales was sentenced this week to 66 weeks imprisonment. On ITV news, I spoke about how the new offence was introduced in 2023 and followed years of campaigning by organisations such as Refuge, UN Women and the dating app Bumble, as well as a cross-party coalition of politicians, all supported by prominent women actors, writers and influencers such as Jess Davies, Emily Atack, Sophie Gallagher and Amy Hart fearlessly speaking out. I worked closely on these campaigns, with my research underpinning the legal arguments and law reform proposals.
There was huge media interest in the sentencing this week. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, I welcomed this conviction as it saw a man being held to account for abusive behaviour that is so often trivialised and dismissed as banter. On breakfast TV - Good Morning Britain – I spoke about the clear message to men and boys: this conduct is unacceptable and it is a criminal offence. But importantly – and often missed – this also sends a powerful message to women and girls: you do not have to put up with this; you can take action; you can report; we hear you and we recognise this harm. You can watch this on YouTube here.
Future prosecutions will not be as straightforward as this one, and so there is more to be done to make the law straightforward and comprehensive. We also need social media companies and internet services to do more to prevent this abuse in the first place. This requires greater action from Online Safety Act regulator, Ofcom.
But, for now, it is welcome that there is a national conversation about how harmful cyberflashing is and that it is no longer acceptable conduct.
Further reading:
For a discussion of the first conviction, the harms of cyberflashing and my comments on what further law reform needed, read Lara Keay’s Glamour article: Love Island star says 'cyber flashers' bombard her with penis photos - and threaten to turn up at her home
For more background on the harms, prevalence and current law on cyberflashing, read my policy briefing which accompanies my book with Kelly Johnson Cyberflashing: recognising harms, reforming laws.
Watch Good Morning Britain here where Sophie Gallagher and I discuss the nature of this crime and the sentencing of this first offender.