A man from Yellowknife has received a 12-month jail term for sharing explicit videos of his ex-partner on social media without her consent. The 36-year-old man was found guilty after a trial for distributing intimate images without consent. The offender’s identity is being withheld to protect the victim’s privacy.
In a written ruling on July 29, N.W.T. Territorial Court judge Stephanie Whitecloud-Brass decided that a community-based sentence was not 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 serve 18 months of probation, perform 60 hours of community service, provide a DNA sample, and undergo 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. Despite prior agreement to record sexual activities, the victim made it clear that any content showing her face or identifying tattoos should never be made public.
Regardless of these boundaries, the man uploaded two explicit videos to his public account on X platform in July 2024, just two days after the breakup. The court determined that his actions were retaliatory, aimed at hurting and humiliating his ex-partner post-breakup. The videos remained online for around 46 days before the victim discovered them, with one video fully revealing her face and the other showing a distinct tattoo on her body.
When confronted, the man deleted the first video but only removed the second after direct contact from the victim. The court labeled the offense as “revenge porn,” considering it an act of intimate partner violence, invasion of privacy, and a sexual crime.
Judge Whitecloud-Brass emphasized that due to the videos being posted on a public account with a substantial following, the potential reach of distribution was vast, creating uncertainty if users downloaded or shared the content. Despite the defense’s plea for a non-custodial sentence and probation citing it as a first offense, the judge deemed a community-based sentence inadequate.
The victim shared in a statement the emotional distress caused by the incident, expressing feelings of vulnerability, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. As part of his probation terms, the convicted man is forbidden from accessing social media accounts, except personal or business email, and is prohibited from contacting or approaching the victim.