THE MAN who became the first person in Bradford to be convicted for so-called 'revenge pornography' was sentenced yesterday.

Joshua Brook, 21, sent intimate pictures of a former girlfriend to her father, brother and new partner, Bradford and Keighley Magistrates' Court heard.

Sentencing him yesterday, chairman of the magistrates' bench, Gill Arnold, told Brook: "Do you understand how embarrassing and how sickening it must be for someone to have that happen to them?

"You may have been angry at the time but, looking back now, hopefully you are remorseful, because it is an awful thing to happen to anybody. I hope you do not do it again.

"I hope you have learnt a very grave lesson."

She added: "Part of being a grown-up and being in a relationship is having trust and respect for one another.

"With relationships come disappointments. It is not just you, lots of people go through heartache when relationships come to an end."

Brook, who pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to two charges of disclosing private sexual photographs with intent to cause distress, was given a 12-month restraining order as part of his sentence. The order prevents him from contacting his victim, whose identity is protected by law.

Brook, of Landscove Avenue, Holme Wood, was also given a community order with a rehabilitation activity requirement for 35 days and ordered to do 70 hours' unpaid work. He must also pay £85 costs, a £180 criminal court charge, and a £60 surcharge.

Prosecutor Nigel Jamieson told the court that the first offence happened on May 24 this year, when Brook sent a picture of the woman's naked breasts to her dad and brother via a private message on social networking website Facebook.

Then, on June 18, Brook sent a picture of the woman's private parts to her new boyfriend, the court heard.

Sarah Carter, for Brook, said his behaviour was "very immature". She added that Brook had some learning difficulties.

"He has never been in trouble with the police before," said Mrs Carter. "And he was not aware this was an offence at the time of committing it. It has been a very sobering time for him going through this whole process."

Mrs Carter said Brook was genuinely remorseful for what he had done.

Isabel Owen, deputy police and crime commissioner for West Yorkshire, said: "Revenge porn, which is the sharing of private sexually related materials with intent to cause distress is now a criminal offence and it is important that people remember that. The effects of the crime on both the victim and the perpetrator can be massively wide reaching and by raising awareness, it is hoped that potential offenders stop and think twice about the consequences of their actions.

“The police and Crime Commissioner, Mark Burns-Williamson, has supported the Ministry of Justice’s campaign ‘Be Aware B4 you Share’ which seeks to deter potential perpetrators by highlighting that revenge porn is a crime that will be prosecuted. The Ministry of Justice is working in partnership with Women’s Aid, the UK Safer Internet Centre and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust and also aims to support victims by directing them to a helpline where they can receive information on the legal help available and their right to have intimate images removed from their websites.

“The offence applies both online and offline and to images which are shared electronically or in a more traditional way, including the uploading of images on the internet, sharing by text and e-mail, or showing someone a physical or electronic image."

Carrie Goldberg, a board member at the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative based in New York, said: "We have seen that it can be just as devastating - if not more so - when images are sent to targeted people. In this case, it was her brother, father, and new romantic partner. Bravo to Bradford law enforcers for prosecuting this crime."