Nicholas Hawkes has become the first person to be jailed in England for sending unsolicited nudes.
The 39-year-old from Basildon was sentenced to 66 weeks at Southend Crown Court after sending photos of his erect penis to a 15-year-old girl and another woman on February 9, per Sky News.
He was reported by the older victim, who took screenshots and reported him to the police on the same day as receiving the images.
Cyber flashing officially became a crime on January 31 after the Online Safety Act was passed.
It covers the unsolicited sending of explicit images via social media, dating apps, text message or data-sharing services like AirDrop.
“This result proves that we are able to thoroughly investigate all sexual offences, including those which have only recently been criminalised,” Detective Chief Inspector James Gray said.
“Hawkes has proven himself to be a dangerous individual and our crime and public protection team have put hours of work into ensuring he is taken off the streets.
“Perpetrators may think that by offending online, they are less likely to be caught, however that is not the case. Cyber flashing has a detrimental impact on victims, and we will continue to investigate all reports of this offence.
“People who think it’s acceptable to send these unsolicited photos… it’s not, and I ask those who think it is acceptable to reflect on their behaviour.”
