First Man Jailed in England for 1.5 Years for Sending 'Dick Pics' on WhatsApp

In England, 39-year-old Nicholas Hawkes, from Basildon in Essex, was jailed for 66 weeks at Southend Court after sending unwanted photos of his erect penis to a 15-year-old girl and a woman on 9 February.

The older victim took screenshots of the offending image on WhatsApp and reported Hawkes to the police the same day.

Cyber flashing became a criminal offence in England following the passing of the SAFE Online Act on 31 January. It has been a crime in Scotland since 2010.

The crime covers sending unwanted sexual images to people via social media, dating apps, text messages or data services such as Bluetooth and AirDrop.

Victims of cyber flashing are granted lifetime anonymity from the moment they report the crime, as it also falls under the Sexual Offences Act.

At a preliminary hearing, Nicholas Hawkes pleaded guilty to sending a photograph of genitalia with intent to cause alarm, distress or humiliation.

He was already on the sex offender register and will remain on it until November 2033, as he was convicted last year of sexual activity with a child under the age of 16 and exposure, for which he also received a community order.

On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to violating the order and to violate his probation for another sexual offence. His sentence included these offences.

Essex County Police said Hawkes must also comply with a 10-year restraining order and will be subject to a 15-year Sexual offence Prevention Order.

Detective Chief Inspector James Gray said: "This result proves that we can thoroughly investigate all sexual offences, including those that have only recently been criminalised." 

"Offenders may think that by committing online offences they are less likely to be caught, but this is not the case. Cyber flashing has a devastating impact on victims, and we will continue to investigate all reports of this offence," he added.