Men who send unsolicited pictures of their genitalia will face up to two years in jail and be made to sign the sex offenders register under a law change in England and Wales.
The act is called cyber-flashing, which is when a person is sent an unsolicited sexual image on their mobile device by an unknown person through social media, messages or other technological means.
There is currently no law which directly addresses cyber-flashing in England and Wales, despite the act being made illegal in Scotland around 12 years ago.
This is also the case in Malta where, despite there being cyber-security laws, there isn’t a law specifically targeting cyber-flashing. The UK’s move intends to reflect penalties for indecent exposure in public, making cyber-flashing part of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
Sean Caulfield, a criminal solicitor, said that the prosecution would need to prove someone intended to expose their genitals, and that they did so intending to cause alarm and distress. ‘It can apply to anyone, whether the victim is a stranger or someone they know.’
This comes after several researchers were warning that a lack of thorough accountability and identity-checking measures are helping to fuel the online sexual harassment of young people. Should Malta take on a similar route?
#MaltaDaily