Man becomes first person to be jailed for 'cyber-flashing'

A man who sent unsolicited images of his genitals to a teenager and a woman has become the first person to be jailed for cyber-flashing.

Nicholas Hawkes was convicted under the Online Safety Act after cyber-flashing became an offence at the end of January. He has been jailed for 66 weeks.

A court heard that Hawkes, 39, from Basildon, Essex, sent unsolicited images of his erect penis to a 15-year-old girl and a woman in her sixties on February 9 this year. He was already a convicted sex offender.

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Southend Crown Court heard that in February this year he used his father's phone to send the image to the woman using WhatsApp. Hawkes then sent an image to the child using iMessage.

She was said to have been left "overwhelmed and crying". Both victims took screenshots of the messages and the woman reported him to Essex Police the same day.

Prosecuting, David Barr said the offences "fall as part of an established pattern of behaviour of the defendant".

The court heard Hawkes' offending has been exclusively sexual in nature and started after he was kidnapped, stabbed and held at a £5,000 ransom demanded from his father when he was 31 years old.

Barry Gilbert, defending, argued Hawkes does not receive sexual gratification from his offending and instead "does it to create chaos when he's under personal pressure" as a result of his PTSD following the attack.

However, Judge Samantha Leigh rejected the argument that he did not receive sexual gratification and said "you clearly are deeply disturbed and have a warped view of