WORRYING figures have shown the scale of people affected by so-called ‘revenge porn’ – with some victims so young they are counted in the age 11 to 13 bracket. 

The data, released by West Yorkshire Police through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, shows a rise in this type of offending, where private sexual photographs and films are shared with the intention of causing distress.

Those who support victims say most content is shared on social media platforms, or general porn websites, and those targeted can be left with severe psychological scars.

The data for West Yorkshire shows that in 2018, 225 offences were recorded, but this rose to 262 in 2019. There was a slight dip to 258 in 2020, but by the end of August this year, 249 offences had already been recorded, suggesting that figure could soar even higher by the end of 2021.

In almost 80 per cent of cases, females are listed as the victim, while in 65 per cent of cases, the suspect is a male. 

In just over 70 per cent of cases, the suspect is a partner or an ex-partner. 
The figures also shine a stark spotlight on the young ages of some victims.

In four cases, the victims, all female, were classified as being in the 11 to 13 age bracket. While exact ages are not specified, it potentially means that primary school-age children have had sexual images of themselves shared on social media. 

In 10 cases, the victims were aged 14 to 15. The Safeline charity says revenge porn is an issue among people of all ages, from children as young as 11 to older adults, but that the most commonly reported incidents come from those who are in their teens to adults in their mid-twenties.

The data from West Yorkshire Police shows that those aged 18 to 30 make up 61 per cent of victims in the listed offences.

The charity says: “With mobile phones becoming more and more intelligent and cameras being included as a standard feature on most models, sharing images has never been so quick and easy. 

“This has led to an increase in people sharing intimate images with their partners via social media, text and other instant messaging services.When a relationship deteriorates and the break up is not an amicable one, some individuals may choose to use any explicit images that they have of their ex-partner against them as a means of “revenge” against the person who sent them. 

“This can be extremely damaging for the victim. Such intimate and private images are, in most circumstances, intended to be seen by the recipient only.”

The charity highlights that when such an image is shared with others or the public, the person loses control of who sees that picture of themselves.

“This lack of control and feeling of humiliation can negatively affect that victim,” says Safeline, adding that it has the potential to “negatively impact the victim psychologically and jeopardise future relationships”. 

Earlier this year, Love Island star Zara McDermott revealed she faced abuse from strangers in the street after becoming the victim of revenge porn at the age of 14, saying life became “unbearable” and she considered taking her own life.

She said she took the nude photograph of herself as a way of fitting in at school, where she was being bullied at the time. A change in the law this year made threats to share intimate images with the intent to cause distress and offence, punishable by up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both. 

In response to the FOI, West Yorkshire Police said it “understands consequences of this offence on a victim can be significant and where instances occur where this offence is made out specialist officers situated within our dedicated Safeguarding Units will ordinarily carry out these types of investigations”.

The force added: “We are dedicated in our approach towards protecting vulnerable persons regardless of the cause and will continue to take rigorous action against those guilty of such offences.”