A man has been jailed after breaking a “revenge porn” law introduced in California last October.
Noe Iniguez posted a photograph of his ex-girlfriend naked to her employer’s Facebook page alongside derogatory comments.
The 36-year-old is the first person to be convicted under the new law.
Thirteen US states have enacted revenge porn laws over the past two years. England and Wales are also making it a criminal offence.
However, it remains a contentious issue.
California’s revenge porn law bans the posting of nude or sexual images of an individual, including selfies, with the purpose of causing emotional distress. Continue after the cut...
Los Angeles-based Iniguez posted the photograph of his victim in March, accompanied by a message that called her a “drunk” and a “slut” and urged her employer to fire her. He used an alias in an attempt to hide his identity.
The woman had previously secured a restraining order against him after receiving abusive text messages following the break-up of their four-year-long relationship in 2011.
Iniguez was sentenced to one year in jail, 36 months of probation and instructed to attend domestic violence counselling after being found guilty of breaking the revenge porn law and violating a restraining order.
“California’s new revenge porn law gives prosecutors a valuable tool to protect victims whose lives and reputations have been upended by a person they once trusted,” said state prosecutor Mike Feuer.
“This conviction sends a strong message that this type of malicious behaviour will not be tolerated.”
Revenge porn laws are intended to make it easier for prosecutors to gain convictions for internet-based offences without having to appeal to pre-existing laws governing harassment and other offences, reports the BBC.
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