A man from Yellowknife has been handed a 12-month prison term for sharing explicit videos of his ex-partner on social media without her consent. The 36-year-old individual was found guilty after a trial for distributing intimate images without consent. The offender’s identity is not disclosed by CBC to protect the privacy of the victim.
The sentencing decision, delivered on July 29 by N.W.T. Territorial Court judge Stephanie Whitecloud-Brass, determined that a jail sentence was more suitable due to the significant breach of trust, high moral culpability, and retaliatory nature of the offense. In addition to the 12-month imprisonment, the man will undergo 18 months of probation, perform 60 hours of community service, provide a DNA sample, and attend mandatory counseling.
The court documents revealed that the man and the victim initially met on a dating app in May 2023, leading to a working relationship and a romantic involvement. Although the victim had agreed to record intimate videos, she explicitly stated that any content revealing her face or identifiable tattoos should not be made public. Despite these boundaries, two explicit videos were posted on the X platform in July 2024, just two days after the breakup, with the intention to harm and embarrass the victim.
The videos remained online for about 46 days before the victim discovered them. One video exposed her face entirely, while the other revealed a distinctive tattoo on her body. The man initially removed one video upon confrontation but only deleted the second after a direct call from the victim.
The court classified the act, known as “revenge porn,” as a form of intimate partner violence, privacy violation, and sexual offense. Judge Whitecloud-Brass emphasized the severity of the crime, highlighting the potential widespread distribution due to the videos being posted on a public account with numerous followers. Despite it being a first offense, the defense’s request for a non-custodial sentence was rejected by the judge in favor of the prison term and probation.
The victim’s impact statement detailed the emotional distress caused by the incident, including feelings of vulnerability, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. As part of his probation conditions, the convicted individual is prohibited from using social media platforms, except for personal or business email, and is forbidden from contacting or approaching the victim.