A woman who had intimate images of her posted on social media by a former lover told the Greymouth District Court it had ruined her life.
A 32-year-old Greymouth man was last week sentenced to six months’ community detention for the offending, under the Harmful Digital Communications Act.
Both parties were granted permanent name suppression by Judge T. Gilbert, who acknowledged the sensitive nature of the case, particularly in a small town.
The woman said she lived in "constant fear" of public judgement due to the pictures and comments posted online.
"My life has become consumed by the fear that [the offender] might post another photo or share more misinformation about me at any time.
"These are images that should never have left private conversation."
She said the series of posts made over various social-media platforms became a "sustained campaign of humiliation and intimidation".
"The damage has been ongoing for me. It has been relentless."
Crown prosecutor Paddy Brand said it was clear the posts and sharing of the images was done out of spite.
"It was a callous act designed to embarrass and shame the victim."
The court heard the pair had known each other for about two years, after meeting at a gym.
Their relationship revolved around the mutual sending of intimate images and messages to one another.
The victim had tried to end the relationship in late 2024, and blocked him on all digital platforms.
On January 31 last year, the man used Snapchat to modify an image of the victim with the text "looking to buy a new Harley up to 20k, pic of a lying whore for attention".
The same day he sent two photographs of the victim in lingerie to an associate on Snapchat.
The images were then shared around on Snapchat by other users.
On February 1, using a secondary profile he created on Facebook, the man posted a photo of the victim wearing lingerie on the West Coast NZ Buy Sell Swap and West Coast (NZ) Community Noticeboard pages.
The photos were posted with the caption "single (but not really just don’t tell ... ) ready to mingle".
Judge Gilbert said the man did not have permission to use the photos and the victim had suffered extreme distress as a result of what he did.
The abuse of trust that should exist between people who had been in an intimate relationship was an aggravating factor.
The photographs themselves were "compromising", although not as explicit as some shared in similar cases, he said.
The Crown suggested a starting point of 12 months’ prison.
However, the judge applied discounts for the man’s early guilty plea and lack of previous convictions.
An end sentence of eight months was reached, which was converted to six months’ community detention.
The man was warned if he released any further images or videos in relation to the woman — or anyone else — he could expect a term of imprisonment. — Greymouth Star
