Scarborough woman Yasmin Walker jailed for revenge porn; intimate photo of ex-lover, and sarcastic comment, posted on Instagram

Yasmin Walker, 30, uploaded the revealing snap after the man told her he just “wanted to (be) friends” following a brief fling, York Crown Court heard.

The picture - which showed the victim’s manhood and was accompanied by three laughing ‘emojis’ and a “sarcastic” comment about that part of his body - was seen by hundreds of users on the social-media platform.

Prosecutor Lewis Allan Kerr said Walker had 1,300 followers on her Instagram account and they would have been able to see the “revenge porn” snap on the public forum.

The victim was at the cinema when he received messages and a screenshot of the picture which had been taken on Walker’s phone.

“The screenshot was of a naked image of him and posted onto (Walker’s) Instagram account,” added Mr Kerr.

“In her case, she had 1,300 followers. The image had been online for 11 minutes.”

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, “begged” Walker to take the image down, which she eventually did after he told her he would contact police.

In a series of Whatsapp messages, she claimed she had posted the picture “by mistake” and didn’t intend to make it public.

Walker was charged with disclosing a private sexual photo with intent to cause distress but denied the offence.

She was found guilty following a trial at Scarborough Magistrates’ Court and appeared for sentence at the Crown Court today.

Mr Kerr said Walker maintained her claim that the image had been posted “by mistake” all the way though her trial, at which the victim had to give evidence.

“The magistrates found against her,” added the prosecutor.

He said the photo, rated Category A in terms of its level of seriousness, had been “widely-shared”.

Walker had four previous convictions for offences including battery, threatening behaviour and drink-driving.

Graham Parkin, for Walker, said she had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from “at least two” abusive former relationships, including one in which she was beaten so badly that her attacker received a 12-and-a-half-year jail sentence. None of these previous relationships were with the victim in this case.

He said the attack had had a “huge adverse effect” on Walker, who was working in retail at the time. She had lost vision in one of her eyes and had to undergo facial reconstruction.

Walker had claimed that it was because of her poor vision that she “clicked the wrong button” and made the image public. This claim hadn’t been accepted.

Mr Parkin said Walker had been getting help from a substance-abuse charity for a daily, nine-year cannabis habit.

He said that Walker had since kicked her habit which had arisen from her trauma following abusive relationships.

Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, told Walker: “You disclosed, for countless people to see, a personal and very intimate photograph with a sarcastic comment next to it.

“That was sent to him when he was in the cinema…and he had to beg you to take it down. I’m afraid that this kind of crime needs to be deterred because cyber crime of this type, that causes people to have their most intimate details splashed around the world, have devastating effects on people, and the public need to know that this kind of crime is serious.”

Mr Morris said the fact that Walker had denied the offence, forcing the victim to give evidence, “aggravated” her situation.

“It does not smack of remorse,” he added.

“You have got your own problems; you have been in abusive relationships…but you know right from wrong. This kind of behaviour has to be deterred.”

Jailing Walker for three months, he said this was a reduced sentence because of her efforts to beat her cannabis habit and get help for her problems.

“It’s going to be a short, sharp shock so that people know revenge pornography means prison,” added Mr Morris.

Walker will serve half of that sentence behind bars before being released on licence.