A father has become the first person in the UK to be jailed for revenge porn. Luke King, 21, used WhatsApp to post nude images of his ex-girlfriend online. 

He was sent the images over the three-year course of their on-off relationship. The victim – who has not been named – told the court that she became worried after he threatened to publish the pictures. King used the images as his Whatsapp profile picture, which allowed everybody in his contacts list to view the photographs. 

The Nottinghamshire man pleaded guilty to posting an explicit image on the internet in a course of conduct which amounted to harassment of the woman. He was jailed for 12 weeks.

That makes King the first person in the country to be punished for revenge porn. Ever. While King was prosecuted under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, new offenders could face up to two years in jail under a new law announced last month, which specifically deals with people who distribute revenge porn.

District Judge Andrew Davison said: "The probation officer calls it pernicious and intended to cause maximum humiliation. I can't better those words. You should be thoroughly ashamed of this offence. I regard this as despicable and a significant breach of trust."

"For some reason she sent them to you in complete confidence. Clearly it was an unwise thing for the complainant to do. Nevertheless it doesn't give you any excuse whatsoever to post this type of intimate photograph together with the abusive and offensive remarks you posted."

Hey, maybe dial down the slutshaming? Still, it's good to see the authorities pursuing the kind of scumbags who think it's OK to circulate naked pictures of their ex. King has also been slapped with a restraining order that bans him from any contact (including online) with the victim for two years.