The victim of a Swindon man who shared an explicit image of her without her consent after they broke up has spoken out following his sentencing.

The woman, who has the right to anonymity, wanted to raise awareness of the offence because she struggled to find examples of other cases like hers being covered in the media while criminal proceedings against her tormentor were ongoing.

On Monday, July 22, Daniel Sosinski appeared at Swindon Magistrates' Court charged with one count of disclosing a private sexual photograph with intent to cause distress.

The 25-year-old, of Culverhouse Road, indicated a plea of guilty to sharing a private image of the victim without her consent on May 17, 2023.

He received a community order that requires him to carry out 31 sessions of the Building Better Relationships scheme, 100 hours of unpaid work, and up to 40 rehabilitation activity days within the next 12 months, as well as pay £500 in compensation along with £85 in court costs plus £114 to fund victim services.

A restraining order has been put in place which lasts two years and prevents Sosinski from going near his victim's address or contacting her directly or indirectly except for through a solicitor regarding the sale of a house.

His victim told the Adver: "I don’t think many people understand how serious of an offence it is now.

"People like him think they can get away with it and I think the more people hear and see cases similar to mine, the less it could possibly happen.

"Even if it stops just one person doing it to someone else, I think it could help."

In a witness statement, she wrote that Sosinski sending the photo made her "very embarrassed" and "spend the whole day crying" as she feared it would push her best friend and new partner away, and she was very worried about whether he had also sent it to other people or uploaded it online. 

She added: "He did this to upset me. Him controlling me through my relationship was not enough for him, and he needed to do something else which would affect me. 

"It left me very emotional. It felt as if he was trying to punish me for moving on. He thought he could get away with it and I would not go to the police.

"The impact of this made me not want to see anyone as I was embarrassed about who else may have seen the photo. I was unable to get up and did not want to go to work or leave the house."

Revenge porn was classified as a sexual offence in the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015, and is punishable by up to two years imprisonment and a fine. 

It includes uploading images to the internet, sharing them by text or e-mail, or showing someone a physical or electronic image

Anyone can be a victim of intimate image abuse. The offender will often be an ex-partner or someone the victim knows, but it can also be a stranger.

Police advise victims to save evidence of where their private images or videos have been shared online by taking screenshots, saving messages and images, and collecting URL links.

Victims should also block all communication with the person targeting them, and report any accounts the person has used to contact them or share the material.

The crime can be reported via wiltshire.police.uk or by calling 101 or visiting a police station.

The 0345 6000 459 helpline for people aged 18 or over is open from 10am to 4pm on weekdays, offering advice on getting the shared content removed.

Childine can offer the same advice for under-18s.