Revenge porn cases hit record levels in Scotland in five years

The number of revenge porn cases in Scotland has more than doubled in the past five years, according to the latest figures.

Police recorded 912 incidents in 2021, up from 421 in 2017/18, revealed an analysis by Scotland's justice and social affairs magazine 1919.

In 2018, there were 407 reports, 585 in 2019, 674 in 2020 and 780 in the year up to March 2021, reported the BBC, citing the study.

Experts connect the increase in revenge porn cases to the excess use of smartphones and social media.

The revenge porn law was enacted by the Scottish government in 2017, As per the law, it is an offence to "disclose, or threaten to disclose, an intimate photograph or film" without consent. Convicts can face up to five years prison term and will be named on the sex offenders register.

Now, politicians and charities have urged the government to take strict action against offenders in the wake of these numbers.

Former Love Island contestants Zara McDermott and Laura Anderson have spoken about being victims of the revenge porn crime. 

In 2016, a hacker stole private naked photos of 20 young women from Lanarkshire and posted them online on a public forum, which ultimately led to the creation of the law. 

Rape Crisis Scotland spokeswoman Brenna Jessie, told the BBC: "Threatening to share someone's personal or intimate images without their consent is violating, abusive and unacceptable.

"This rise in figures is concerning but perhaps even more so is the fact that there will be many more victim-survivors who have not reported what they have been through."

Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Jamie Greene said that tackling revenge porn should be the priority of the government.

A Scottish government spokesperson said: "The Scottish government recognises the powerful role online platforms play in our lives, and have offered to work with the UK government to strengthen their Online Safety Bill to address harmful online content, such as the non-consensual sharing of intimate images."

The number of revenge porn cases in relation to all intimate image abuse increased by 40 per cent from 3,146 to 4,406 last year in the UK. The country already banned the sharing of explicit images without consent in 2015.