A man who repeatedly changed his WhatsApp profile picture to nude photos of his ex-partner and wrote a derogatory term on her car has avoided prison.

James Blackman, 33, of Cowleaze Walk, Stratton, pleaded guilty to criminal damage and disclosing private sexual photographs with intent to cause distress at Swindon Magistrates Court on November 7.

Mr Cooper, prosecuting, told the court that Blackman had a short three-week relationship with the victim in 2022 and she decided she no longer wanted to be with him after receiving repeated calls from Blackman asking where she was.

But his behaviour turned “quite nasty” after the relationship ended, with Blackman leaving her abusive messages calling her a “slag” and a “cheater” and threatening to share private sexual images she had sent him while they were together.

He told her he would add all her friends to a group chat and message private videos to them and promised to share the videos if he was arrested, warning her “I’ll tell your family how much of a sniffhead and slut you are.”

(Image: Newsquest)

While the victim was at a friend’s house, Blackman’s behaviour escalated when she failed to answer the phone to him and he sent a photo of her in her underwear to the friend, which Mr Cooper defined as a “revenge attack.”

From July to August 2023, Blackman used nude photos of the victim as his WhatsApp profile picture and was said to change the photo once a week around eight or nine times to include nude photos with derogatory messages he had written over them. 

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On August 8, 2023, Blackman left her a voicemail saying “You might want to check your car” and she saw he had scratched the word ‘slag’ into the paintwork of the vehicle on the front bonnet, causing £400 worth of damage.

Although a victim impact statement was not heard in court, Mr Cooper said the victim described feeling “scared” and “intimidated” by Blackman’s behaviour in previous statements.

The court heard that Blackman, who has 19 previous convictions for 33 offences dating back to 2006, was charged with harassing a former partner, the mother of his nine-year-old son, in 2018.

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In mitigation, Ms Hillier, defending, explained that Blackman no longer had contact with the victim and is amicable with the mother of his son and still sees him regularly at weekends.  

She added that Blackman was “well aware his actions caused damage to the car” and acknowledged he would need to pay compensation.

 The Magistrate told Blackman it was a “pretty horrible offence” likely to cause a “serious impact” on the victim and also cause distress to people who had viewed the images on his WhatsApp.

He warned that the sharing of private images is difficult to regulate and “once it’s out of control, it’s out of control.”  

Blackman was given a 22-week suspended sentence for 15 months and he is already on a 12-week suspended sentence for 12 months for possession of a knife back in January – after these offences took place.

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Additionally, the Magistrate told Blackman that the reason he was not going to prison was due to a “realistic prospect of rehabilitation”.

He was ordered to pay £400 compensation to the victim for damaging her car and an additional £250 compensation for causing her distress, along with a surcharge of £154 and prosecution costs of £400 – totalling £1,204.

Blackman is also subject to a restraining order and must not contact the victim directly or indirectly for 15 months.

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